You Never Cease To Amaze Me
by rollergirl248
Summary: Maddie has always thought of Zack as her best friend - a kid. But what would happen if that were to change? Or will she be too late? ZackxMaddie. I own nothing but Christina! PLEASE REVIEW!
1. A Gift To Remember

You Never Cease To Amaze Me

Sitting here at the candy counter all day I can't help but think about him. His cute smile, his perfect hair, the hilarious jokes he makes… Zack is like the brother I never had. Oh wait I do have a brother. Liam. Ugh! I prefer to think he was adopted. He is such a-

"Excuse me miss?" said a woman with her little girl. I've got to stop zoning out like this!

"Oh! I'm sorry. What can I get you?" I say tiredly. Its been a long day.

"One pack or skittles and a Hershey bar please." She exclaims impatiently.

"Okay that will be 5.00" I say as she hands me the money. "Thank you and enjoy your stay at the Tipton." As I put the money in the cash register, I spot a folded up piece of paper in one of the coin slots. What is this? It reads:

Hey sweet thang,

By the time you read this I bet I'll be in school studying my brains out.

But I'll try hard just for you my lovely.

Anyway, I wrote this to tell you HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

You probably don't remember, but this day five years ago was the first

time I saw your shining, beautiful face and fell in love with you.

Look in your pocket. I slipped something in when I gave you a hug this morning.

Hope you like it.

Gotta stop writing now. Cody's getting impatient.

Love you,

Zack

P.S. If you want to repay me with a date I wouldn't mind.

This is so typical Zack. He's always surprising me. The little crush he has on me is so sweet. Flattering too if you think about it. I put my hand in my skirt pocket and pull out a small black velvet box. Oh no. I hope this isn't what I think it is!

I open the box with butterflies in my stomach. Inside I see the most beautiful bracelet I have ever seen. It's a silver chain with charms all around it. There is one of a rollerblade when Zack taught me how to rollerblade in the park last year. Another charm is of a paw print from the Zack helped me volunteer at the pound. Boy was that funny! As soon as he came in all the big dogs toppled him! I giggle to myself. There is a charm of a cupcake which I bet stands for sweet thang. Next to that one, there is a heart charm. It's breathtaking. It isn't a cheap plastic one; it looks absolutely beautiful and definitely pricey. Lastly there is a simple Z.

I just stare there at the candy counter with my mouth open looking like an idiot as Zack comes in the hotel. As usual, he's surrounded by his many guy friends and girls who look and act like they try to hard. The most annoying of them all (and the most popular stuck up cheerleader) Christina he arm around his waist. This gets me angry. Zack deserves someone way better than that skank. He should be with someone who doesn't just care about him for his looks. Someone who knows his little quirks, like how he eats when he's upset and the way he suppresses pain, sadness, or any other bad emotion when his brother is around to be the tough, protecting one. Someone who can read his face like a book. Someone like me. Wait what?

"I'll meet you guys at the room. Just follow Cody up." He says as he twists himself out of Christina's vice grip on him. As they leave, he approaches me.

"Hey sweet thang! Did you like me gift?"

"Zack I loved it!" I scream as I squeeze the heck out of him. "It's amazing! The absolute best gift I have ever gotten in my whole entire life! You never cease to amaze me. You're the best friend I've ever had!" I say as I release him.

As I look at his face I see hurt from the "friend" word before he covers it up like he always does.

"Yeah. Um. So…I've gotta go." He says with fake nonchalance.

"Wait! How much did this cost you?" I ask.

"Nothing really. Don't worry about it." he says. He seems to contemplate something before he says, "So…about that date…"

"Oh Zack…" I say nervously.


	2. A Chance

A Chance

"_Oh Zack…" I said nervously. _

Why was I so nervous? It couldn't be that hard to tell him no again, would it? Do I want to say yes though? I don't know what to do! I'm so confused!

"Uh oh." Zack expressed flatly. "Here it comes again."

"Look Zack, I think it's better for us to be friends, you know? I really don't want to hurt your feelings it's just that we would never work. I mean, we're three years apart! I'm sorry Zack, really I am. If you wanted to take your gift back I would understand." I respond.

"No, keep it. Don't apologize. I was stupid to think that this time would be any different than the other times I've asked you on a date." Zack said, not hiding his hurt very well.

"Zack, its okay to be upset…" I say.

"I'm fine." He states.

"No, your not!" I yell. I hate when he tries to cover up his emotions from me. He should know by now that that just won't work.

"All right! I'm not! Are you happy now?! It feels like my heart is breaking in two! Happy?! Is that what you wanted?! You know, you would think after years of rejection I would get used to it. But I'm not. Every time you turn me down it hurts just as much as the first time. But I can't stop trying. Every time you get a new boyfriend it kills me. Do you know that?! Every time you flirt and kiss with someone it feels like I'm being run over by a truck! And every time that jerk dumps you for not going far enough with him, I'm there comforting you, holding your hand. And I'm sorry, but I don't think our age difference should stop us because I would never treat you like a piece of meat like those other guys do! You deserve someone better! That someone is me! When will you open your eyes?!" Zack shouts. Some people are looking at us strangely but I can't see them or hear their whispers. All I can see are the tears threatening to spill out of Zack's eyes; all I can hear is his heavy breathing. Then he just walks towards the elevators, never looking back, going to his suite I presume.

And I'm struck dumb, standing in the middle of the lobby with my mouth hanging open and my eyes watering. He's never talked to me that way. He's never showed me that side of him before. I hate to see him in pain, to see him hurting. I hate it more since I caused it. I look at the bracelet again and right away my eyes focus on the bright, glittering red heart. And then his words replay through my mind, "_I would never treat you like a piece of meat like those other guys do!" _I know that's true. He has never yelled at me until that moment. He has never laid a hand on me or made rude sexual remarks to me before, just his cute flirting. And I know he never would hurt me on purpose. _"You deserve someone better!"_ Funny. I was just thinking that same thing about him thirty minutes ago. _"That someone is me!" _I hadn't thought about this before. That sounds odd, but I have never seriously thought about how a relationship with Zack would be. I've always made the excuse of us being three years apart. And it was a good reason when he was 12 and I was 15, but now that we're older, things are different. He understands things better. He tries harder. He's more grown up, more mature. And right now, he's in pain. Because of me. Again.

I have to fix this! When he's happy, so am I. When he's excited, so am I. When he's sad, so am I…

"That has to mean something, doesn't it?" I ask myself on the way to the elevator. Once I'm in, I press the 23 button and think about what I'm going to do on the way once I get to my destination.

As I knock on the door, butterflies flutter around in my stomach. What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he never forgives me? What if-

My thoughts are caught off when the door opens and I see a familiar blonde boy staring at me.

"Hey Maddie, what's up?" Cody asks me.

"Um…can I talk to Zack?" I ask unsurely.

"Honestly I don't know. He wouldn't talk to me when he came in. He looked really upset. He actually was crying! Do you know how rare that is?" he says. Yes I do, I think to myself. "The last time he cried was in the fourth grade when he broke his leg. But I'll go ask him to come out. I'm sure he will if I tell him you were here." Don't be so sure of that I think bitterly to myself.

"Come in. Have a seat. I'll be right back." He says as he leaves the room for his and Zack's.

As I enter their living room and heads towards the couch, I can't help but notice a piece of paper with an A+ on it on the kitchen table. Must be Cody's. As I pick up the paper I am astounded to see that the name at the top was not Cody's, but actually Zack's. Wow. This is impressive! He was actually telling me the truth when he told me that he was doing better in school. Not that I would think he would lie to me.

"Pretty impressive isn't it?" Cody startles me.

"Oh yeah. It is." I say.

"I still can't believe he did better than me! Never thought that would happen. Anyway, he says he'll be out in a couple minutes" he says.

"Ok." I reply.

"Can I ask you something Maddie?" Cody asks me.

"Sure Cody. Fire away." I say.

"Are you the reason why Zack's so upset?" he asks.

I didn't expect that one. But I decide I may as well be honest now.

"Yeah…Kinda…"

For a second Cody looks seriously mad at me. He's not used to seeing Zack like that. He's always putting on a brave face for Cody. When he calms down he says, "Look. I can kinda tell what this problem's about. I have to tell you something Maddie. Zack has really matured. He's not the same kid he was five years ago. That's because of you. You make him act better. He's always happier after spending some time with you. Just give him a chance! He is in love with you. And I think you love him too."

I'm speechless. I don't know how to respond to that. As I decide how to respond next, the boy's bedroom door opens. And there is Zack. My heart quickens when I see him. It's just the nerves, I tell myself.

"I'll leave now." Says Cody as he exits out of the front door.

By now Zack is in front of me with an angry/upset/confused look.

"So…Where are your friends?" I ask, trying to make small talk.

"Left." Zack replies.

"Oh." I say. Maddie, it's time to stop beating around the bush! "Zack I'm sorry about what happened. Really I am. I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never mean to do that."

"I know." Says Zack. "And I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. I was just angry and hurt. But still that's no excuse-"

"Stop it!" I cut him off. "Your right. I've been stupid. I always thought it was just some silly crush you would get over. But I was wrong. I know I should have realized this a while ago but I know you love me Zack."

"Took you a while." Zack laughs. He's always the joker.

"You didn't let me finish. I want to ask you for your forgiveness and also for that date."

"Maddie, your forgiven but you don't need to give me a pitty date just because you feel sorry for me. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself." Zack says.

"It's not a pitty date! It's a real date. I want to see how I feel about you. I'm not promising you anything, but I'm done using that stupid age difference excuse." I say.

"Finally!" Zack says teasingly. Always joking. "But seriously Maddie, you don't know how much this means to me. I've been waiting for years to hear you say that. You won't regret it! So…when should I pick you up?"

"Six thirty at London's room" I say. I'm gonna need her closet for this. Before I leave the room I lean up (I have to lean UP now!) to kiss Zack on the cheek. As I close the door I see a very happy Zack. Now I have to get ready. With London's closet size that could take hours!

**So that's it guys! Keep reading to see what happens on their date. I was thinking about saying something like once I get 5 reviews I'll update again but I think that's kinda annoying. I write because I like too. Your awesome reviews are just an added plus! Tomorrow is my bday so give me a shoutout! The big 1 5. Lol. Please review! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING ME! U GUYS ROCK!**


	3. The Date: Part 1

The Date: Part 1

_Now I have to get ready. With London's closet that could take hours._

As I walk down the long, bright hallway, I can't help but feel nervous for our first date. I would never consciously admit this to myself but I felt truly exited! Knowing Zack, this date could be skating in the park to five star dining.

What am I going to wear? I panic as I step in the elevator and press the top floor button. London is an expert at these things so I don't have to worry too much. Speaking of London, what am I going to tell her? Is she going to freak out? Oh well. I can just flash something shiny in front of her eyes. That will shut her up. She'll think it's a diamond or something.

Well here goes nothing, I think to myself as I knock on London's door.

"Hideous hair Maddie, what are you doing here?" London says. God, it gets me so angry when she says that! But I have to be nice to her to use her clothes. I'm not usually that shallow but this is an emergency!

"Hey London, my beautiful, talented, rich friend!" I say quickly. "Did I mention how radiant you are today?"

"Oh my god I know! I just got my hair done! Which no offense Maddie, you need to do. But come on in!" London says obnoxiously.

"Thanks! So I'm just going to use your closet to help me find an outfit for my date." I add the last part quietly as I start heading for the huge closet doors.

"Freeze!" London yells. Shoot! "Who are you going with? I only lend my closet for important occasions!"

Uh oh? What should I do?! Oh wait, I know! "London, guess what? You can see your reflection in the window! Go check it out!"

"Okay!" London exclaims as she skips off happily. Man that was almost too easy.

It takes about an hour to put together a perfect outfit because of how HUGE her closet is. Did I mention how HUGE it is?! It has three escalators, a elevator, and a butler! Anyway, when I put on my chosen outfit I look in the mirror. And no, it's not the talking one. I made sure to avoid him! When I look in the mirror, I see myself wearing a light green dress that comes down to about two inches above my knee. The straps are about an inch wide and the neck line comes down a little ways. I made sure to put on shorts underneath though just in case we do in fact do something sporty. I really hope not though! My hair is straightened and falls below my shoulders.

As I leave the closet/mall I see London still looking at herself through the window. At this I laugh. When she finally tears her eyes away from the window and spots me, her eyes go as big as saucers.

"Wow!" she exclaims. "You look pretty! And you know that's true when I say it."

"Thanks! Do you know what time it is?" I ask her.

"Um….the small line is pointing to the…six and the big line is pointing to the….uh….ten. And one line keeps going so fast I can't see it." she says frustrated.

It's 6:50 already? The thought that Zack would be here for our first date in ten minutes sends my head spinning and the nerves come back.

"I guess I'll just hang here for a couple more minutes." I tell London.

"Okay. Wait, you never told me who you were going with!" London states.

"Oh…uh…" I stutter.

"Tell me!" she says desperately. I'm running out of shiny objects!

"Okay! It's Zack." I say giving in.

London freezes for a second before she shouts, "Aw! Finally! You guys make such a cute couple! But I have to warn you Maddie, don't go breaking his heart. If you do, I will seriously suspend you closet privileges for a long time!"

"Geez London. When did you get so protective of him?" I ask.

"Ever since he stuck for me to Chelsea. Maddie you are really lucky to have him. So don't blow it." she says.

"Thanks London." I say sarcastically. No pressure.

Just then there is a knock on the door. Immediately anxious I open the door to the sight of Zack Martin wearing black dress pants and a white dress shirt holding a bouquet of roses. But all I can really focus on is his face. When did he get so handsome?

"These are for you." He says coolly.

When I just stand and stare at him looking like an idiot, he sighs and enters London's suite to put them in a vase with water. When he's done, he takes my hand and says, "Ready to go?"

I nod. Walking down the hall with his hand in mine I can't help but think how we seem to fit perfectly together. As corny as that sounds. As we enter the elevator, I realize I haven't said anything yet, making the loud silence between us awkward.

"So…" I rack my brain for something to say. "What are we doing tonight?"

"I was thinking bungee jumping off a bridge and then maybe skydiving." He says dead serious. When I just stare at him he laughs. "Chill sweet thang; I'm just kidding. I made reservations at Houston's and then maybe we could hang out on the roof. Sound okay to you?"

"Sounds great." I say. By now we were in the Tipton parking lot. "Um Zack, I didn't bring my parents car today."

"Maddie I can drive you know." He laughs. We reach space B-32 and I see a black Nissan next to his mother's minivan. He pulls out the keys and presses the unlock button and the lights on the Nissan start blinking. Zack walks to the passenger side and opens the door. "Hop in." I just stare at the car with my mouth open. "It's not going to explode sweet thang." He jokes.

After I get seated and put my seat belt on Zack enters in through his door and does the same. Wow, he looks really hot behind the wheel. When we get out of the parking lot and onto the main road I start to relax. He hasn't crashed yet.

"I'm not going to crash Mads." He laughs. Sometimes it's like he can read my mind.

"Yeah yeah. Just keep your eyes on the road buster." I retort.

"Aw, but then I can't look into your beautiful eyes." He says flirtingly.

"So how can you afford this car?!" I ask, still smiling from his comment.

"Cody and I split it the payment. I got a job downtown as a waiter." He says. Oh that's right, I think to myself. I wasn't really listening when he told me though, I was looking at his mouth and how its really cute when he pouts and how his lips-. Stop right there Madeline!

He turns onto a less busy road with trees on either side. "Maddie I just want to say I'm really happy your giving me a chance. When you told me yes I couldn't believe it. I-"

"Zack, look out!" I yell as I take the wheel in my left hand and turn it to the left.

**Alright guys, that's chapter 3!!! I'm probably gonna post the next chapter tomorrow. But PLEASE review!!**


	4. Fireworks: Part 2

Fireworks

"_Zack, look out!" I yell as I take the wheel in my left hand and turn it to the left._

Startled, Zack presses his foot to the gas pedal and we go straight towards the trees. As were start heading towards a large tree, my life seriously flashed before me eyes. I see myself graduating middle, my parents breakup, and all my community service days. But most importantly, I see his face. Zack. Smiling at me with his cocky grin, his gorgeous eyes, his fabulous hair…Could I really think about his looks at a time like this!

Suddenly the car jerks and I see Zack turning the wheel and slamming his foot down on the brake pedal. The car stops. It looks like we missed the tree by only a couple of feet. Zack and I just sit there, breathing heavily. Neither of us says a word.

"Maddie, all you all right?" Zack asks with a worried/startled look.

It takes me a while to say, "Um…yeah. Are you okay?" If he's hurt physically too because of me, I don't know what I'll do.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He replies shakily.

"I'm really sorry Zack. How's the car?" I ask nervously.

"We didn't hit anything so I'm sure its fine." He says, his voice more steady now. "What was that all about?!"

"Uh…you were about to hit a bunny." I reply sheepishly.

Zack just stares at me for a second, his expression totally blank. Then he starts cracking up. I can't help but join in. His smile is addictive; his laughter irresistible.

"Are you telling me that he risked our lives for a bunny?!" he laughs.

I pout to hide my grin. "Let's just go!" I say with fake anger.

"Ok." He says still laughing as he pulls up near the road. He pauses.

"What are you doing?" I ask suspiciously.

"Looking for any bunnies." He smirks. I slap his arm playfully.

Once we finally get to the restaurant we get seated in a small booth. The lights are dim and shine off his hair perfectly. A pretty waitress comes up to us and smiles at Zack.

"What can I get you?" she asks him.

"Two Sprites please." He says ordering for me. He knows me so well.

Once our drinks and eventually our food come we are talking about everything from sports to jobs to annoying brothers to each other. It feels so easy; so natural. Talking to Zack is effortless. I can talk to him about anything; he never judges me.

Once the waitress comes back with our check she says to Zack, "Are you sure there's nothing else I can get you?" I can just hear the double meaning behind her words!

Totally oblivious Zack responds "No we're good. Thank you very much."

As we head towards the car Zack slips an arm around my waist. I don't protest, but not to spare his feelings. I want it there. I can feel myself loosening up around him.

As we're driving home, Zack keeps looking at the clock on his dashboard. Is he that sick of me already? No Maddie, I tell myself. You're being ridiculous! When I can't take it anymore I decide to ask. "Why do you keep checking the time" I ask curiously.

He just smiles one of his breathtaking grins. "You'll see." He says mischievously.

I stare at him suspiciously but decide to drop it. I'll know eventually. When we enter the Tipton, Zack half runs to the elevator. I have to jog to keep up with him. When we step into the elevator, he quickly presses the roof button. As its going up, he paces slightly. When we exit it, he runs out towards the roof door.

"Zack wait!" I call to him. "Running in heels isn't that easy." I remind him.

"Come on." He says urgently.

When he reaches me I say, "Zack tell me what is going on! I'm not moving from this spot until-" My ranting is cut off when he scoops me up in his arms and starts heading for the doors again. Dang! He's buff! I can't help but notice the muscles in his arm while he's holding me effortlessly. When we reach the edge of the roof he sets me down on my feet.

"Okay, what was that for?" I ask, but not as sternly as I was aiming for.

He smiles as points to the sky and says, "Look."

As I look to where his finger is pointing, bright lights stun my vision and I understand why he was rushing me. Huge fireworks were bursting in the sky, dazzling me with their beautiful colors. I look up to his face and see him smiling at me. I can't say anything right now; I'm stunned. After fifteen minutes, the fireworks stop and I think the show is over. "Zack-" I begin but he puts a finger to my lips. This sends a tingle up and down my spine.

"Wait a sec." he says as he removes his fingers.

I look to the sky to see another firework ascending to the sky. Once it bursts it forms letters. I make out the words sweet thang in my favorite color, purple. That has got to be the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me. And it's only the first date! The firework starts up my tears. Darn my emotions!

"So how did you like-" Zack begins. He sees my tears and wipes them away with his fingers. Once again, I feel the tingles in my stomach. "Are you ok?" he asks faintly amused by my reaction.

"I'm better than okay. I'm fabulous." I say as I put my arms around his neck and pull him to me, resting my head on his muscular chest. He puts his arms around my waist.

"Glad you liked it." he responds as he kisses the top of my head. Suddenly he sighs.

"What is it?" I ask nervously.

"It's near my curfew." Zack tells me sheepishly. "Should I drive you home?"

"No, I'm staying at London's tonight." I state. I need to return her clothes to her.

"Okay lets go." He says as he takes my hand. I dread going back to London's room. I don't want this night to end. When we approach her door he drops my hand and says, "I had a really good time tonight."

I lean against the door as I say, "Me too. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. And the firework show was amazing Zack. You're pretty incredible guy."

A look suddenly appears in Zack's eyes. "Thank you." He says in a husky voice. He puts his hands against the door, on either side of my head. As he leans down, I can hear my heart beating furiously against my chest. Before I have time to think about what is happening I feel myself falling.

Before I land on the floor, Zack catches me. Once I get back on my feet I see London with the open door in her hand.

"Opps!" She says. "I thought I heard some cats at my door. But it seems like you two-"

"London!" I cut her off. "There are no cats in the Tipton. Now close the door." I say pronouncing each syllable distinctivly and angrily.

"Ok!" she says as she closes the door on Zack's now surprised face. London and I are now in her suite. I guess she didn't realize I meant after I went back out to Zack!

"You're impossible!" I exclaim as I exit the suite and close the door after me. Zack is leaning against the wall with an amused expression on his face. "Sorry about that." I tell him. "London gets kinda confused sometimes."

"No kidding." He laughs. "Now where were we?"

"I think about here." I say as I lock my hands around his neck and lean my face up to him. Where did this sudden confidence come from?

He once again puts his arms around my waist and leans down. My heart is beating so strongly I wonder if he can hear it. With my eyes closed, I feel his lips press into mine. It's like my own fireworks are going off inside of me. I see bright colors and my heart starts racing much more quickly than before. My steady breathing becomes heavy panting as I run my fingers through his hair. Before I forget how to breathe altogether, we break apart.

"Wow." Zack says panting also

"Yeah." I respond awkwardly.

We look at each other for another second before we greedily press our lips together again. My hands messing his hair; his hands pulling me close to him and holding me tightly. The fireworks start again and goose bumps trail all along my body. Just then Zack's watch beeps, pulling us out our bliss.

"I have to go" he groans. "Maybe we could do this again?" he asks tentatively.

"Definitely. Call me soon." I say, hoping I didn't sound too desperate.

"Of course sweet thang." He says as he bends down to kiss me on my cheek.

I smile in total serenity as I open London's door using Zack's pass key, which I took from his pocket. When I open the door and hand him back his key our hands touch. Tingles go up my spine again. It takes everything I have not to reach up to him and kiss him. I don't want him to get in trouble for being late. "Goodnight Zack." I say reluctantly.

"Night sweet thang." He says with the same reluctance in his voice. As he goes down the hall, I enter the suite and close the door. Immediately I am bombarded by London's questions, but all I can do is smile and lean against the door like in all the sappy movies. No way am I gonna be able to go to sleep tonight.

**All right guys, here you go. This chapter is a bit longer. PLEAE REVIEW! It means so much to me when you do. Hope you like this chapter. There is not a huge cliffhanger, but I have some things up my sleeve for teh next chapter. God bless!**


	5. Hanging On By A Thread

Hanging On By A Thread

_No way am I gonna be able to go to sleep tonight. _

"Come on Maddie! Spill! I'm dying of curiosity here!" London enthuses.

"Well, what do you want to know?" I ask, still smiling like an idiot.

"Hmm. When I opened the door you two were looking pretty cozy together. Dish the details about that!" London says as she gracefully sits herself down on her pink, comfy couch. I am in such a state of bliss that I can't even get mad at her for that right now.

"He was leaning down to kiss me!" I express, still giddy from the feelings from the best kiss of my life.

"Ok, so when you closed the door behind you, he obviously kissed you. You have that "I just had the best kiss of my life" look. But I want to hear how it was from you!" London smiles.

I flop down tiredly next to her on the couch. I don't know where to begin. The whole night was just so amazing!

"Maddie for a smart person, you don't answer very quickly! Is Zack as good as a kisser as every girl says he is?" London asks. Clearly not noticing how her last sentence brought me down.

"Every girl?" I ask in a squeaky voice, trying to look nonchalant but failing miserably.

Finally catching on to her error, London covers up by saying, "Oh I'm sure he hasn't kissed everyone! I mean have you seen that Agnes girl?"

I laugh at this, remembering how that poor girl followed Zack around everywhere. Man was he happy when she said she liked Cody better than him!

To try to get back on topic, I struggle to think of words that adequately describe the kiss. "When Zack kissed me…" I begin. "All my troubles just melted away. For those couple of seconds there were no money problems, no fighting, and NO Christina. It felt like we were the only two people in our own planet. And if felt incredible!"

"Tell me more!" London bounces enthusiastically.

"I'm kinda tired." I lie, wanting to be alone with my thoughts. "Can I stay at your place tonight?"

"Absolutely!" London says happily. "That way you can tell me the rest tomorrow morning."

I just smile. It feels like I can't stop doing that! It's a good feeling though. Once I'm finished getting ready for bed and slip under the cool covers of the queen sized bed, I sigh. Today was truly perfect. I can't stop thinking about Zack. When I finally fall asleep, I dream about him and me. About ours lives together. His face never leaving my thoughts or vision.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where is he? He should be here right now! What if he's hurt? What if he regrets last night? What if-

"Hey sweet thang!" I hear him say. My head immediately snaps up from the magazine that I wasn't really reading. My job at the candy counter doesn't require a lot of attention so every now and then I get to entertain myself with the merchandise they have there.

At the sound of his voice, my heart speeds up. No guys have ever had that effect on me. Making all my silly worries melt away with the sound of his voice. I immediately run around the candy counter and jump into his arms.

"Whoa!" he says surprised, tightening his arms around my torso. "I've missed you." He whispers in my ear, sending tingles down my back.

"Me too." I reply lamely. Come on Maddie! Use more words! He sits me on top of the counter, keeping his hands on my thighs and smiling his breathtaking smile. My breathing speeds up now too. "You look great today." I say, noticing his white t-shirt over his black shorts. Hot!

"Thanks." he laughs. "So…."

"So…" I reply back at him, wondering why he looks so nervous.

"You didn't regret last night?" he asks finally. I laugh and for a second and he looks worried. Aw! He's so cute when he's vulnerable.

"Are you kidding me?!" I ask rhetorically. "Zack that was the best most amazingly wonderful date I've had in my entire life!" Although it sounds like such an overstatement, it really is true!

"Great." Zack says, looking relieved. "I was up late last night worrying over whether you thought I was a mistake. And thank god you said I wasn't because that kiss was the most incredible one I've ever had."

I'm glowing. He just made me the happiest girl alive right now! Sometimes, it's so easy for Zack to say what's on his mind. It's then that I notice Christina shooting her death stare at me.

"Really?" I ask deciding to play it up a bit. "Because I don't remember that part…perhaps you should remind me."

Zack smiles hugely before leaning up to me. The suspense is killing me! I greedily press my lips into his, grabbing his neck and bringing him even closer to me if that's possible. Once again, the feelings erupt, taking total effect on me. I feel like I'm floating in clouds. My heart races and my breathing becomes panting as I run my fingers through Zack's attractive hair.

"Zack! How many times do I have to tell you? NO KISSING IN THE LOBBY!" yells Mr. Moseby, immediately snapping me out of my bliss.

Zack smiles sheepishly and I see Christina seriously looking like she's about to murder me. Feeling kinda scared, I hop down and stand in front of Zack. Since he's so tall now, he completely blocks me from Christina's view. He's my protector in more ways than one. Just then, Zack's phone vibrates.

"I've gotta go sweet thang. Cody's making me help him with his project." Zack explains his text message.

"God forbid!" I joke.

"I'll see you later!" Zack says leaning down to kiss my cheek and then running to the front doors where Cody is is waiting for him impatiently.

As I step behind the counter, I can see Christina grinning and skipping towards me. Why is she grinning? I just kissed her "love".

"Hey loser girl." She says smugly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you couldn't read! My name is Maddie." I say the last sentence slowly, pronouncing each syllable.

"Very funny. Anyway, I'm here to rub it in your face." She says.

I have no idea what she's talking about! "Rub what in my face?" I ask bored.

"The fact that I'm spending the remainder of my summer in a suite all by myself directly across the hall from Zack." She replies, smiling evilly.

What?! I scream in my head. She is really getting to me! I bet she doesn't even like Zack. She just wants him because he's unavailable. She just wants to use him. That slut! Keep yourself together Maddie! There is nothing to worry about. Zack would never betray you.

"I don't care." I say half lying. "Zack would never cheat on me."

"The hell he won't! You don't know him at all if that's what you think. Zack's with a new girl every week! But whatever. If you want to delude yourself into thinking that he's gonna stay with you, be my guest. But we'll just see what will happen." She smirks.

Just then, Zack and Cody are making their ways towards the elevators, probably to start the project. Christina skips to them and plants herself in front of Zack.

I can' help be hear as she says, "Hey Zakkie pie. Guess what? I'm staying in the suite across the hall from you for the rest of the summer! Isn't that great?"

"Uh yeah. Awesome!" replies Zack with obviously fake enthusiasm.

"Feel free to stop by my room anytime you want." Christina says seductively while playing with Zack's collar on his shirt.

"I've gotta go. Bye." Zack says quickly as he skillfully gets her to let go of his shirt. He doesn't even he try to sound sincere. At that I smile. He and Cody step in the elevator, exiting the lobby.

After about another hour of selling candy bars, my shift is finally over! I can't wait to just go home and relax. Christina really got on my nerves, and I just need some time to unwind. Since I took my car to work today, I don't have to wait for the bus to come and pick me up. After sitting in traffic for about thirty minutes I'm finally home! I get to the front door, put the key in the lock, and step inside.

"Hey Mom. Hey Dad." I say as I make my way to the stairs in order to get to my bedroom.

"Wait sweetie." My mom pleads. "We would like to talk to you for a minute."

"Okay…" I say as I sit on the couch. "What's up?"

"Honey," my mom begins. "You know we've been having financial troubles for a while now. And it's getting to the point where it's just becoming too much for your father and I to handle."

"Should I take an extra shift and the candy counter? Do you want me to get another job? What do I need to do?" I ask desperately.

"Leave." My father responds coldly.

"What?" I ask. I don't understand what they're saying.

"Don't be so hard on her honey." My mother scolds and then looks back at me before saying, "The cost to of a child is great and we can't take care of two children anymore. We're sorry."

"Your kicking me out?!" I ask with disbelief in my voice.

"You are old enough to live on your own now Madeline. We certainly can't put Liam out on the streets. You can pack your things later. But we are going to sell your furniture for financial aid. We will leave the necessities for you to take with you." My father says.

"You can't do this!" I yell. I look over my shoulder to see that Liam has a huge grin on his face. I hate him! I hate my family!

"Out!" my father yells, pushing me out of the door and slamming it in my face.

As I stumble my way to the car, I can't make coherent thoughts. After sitting in my car for fifteen minutes I can think of only one place to go. Zack. As I ride to the Tipton the tears finally start falling down my face, blurring my vision.

When I walk into the Tipton, Christina's annoying face blocks my view.

"What's wrong crybaby? Did Zack finally see what a loser you are and dump you?" she asks.

"No you idiot! No get out of my way!" I yell at her.

"Fine!" she yells back. "I'll make it happen myself!" And with that, she storms away.

Immediately, I am frozen still. I can't let her do that! If I lose Zack, I will literally have nothing left to live for. When I refocus my vision I see that I'm standing in front of Zack's suite door. I must have been too upset to realize where I was going. Happy with where I am though, I knock on the door. I half wish that Zack won't be there. I don't want him to see my like this. But I need him. When the door opens, there he is, looking down at my tear stricken face.

"Oh my gosh Maddie! What happened?!" he asks pulling me into his arms in a vice grip. I feel so safe in his arms. Like nothing can hurt me or harm me while I'm in them.

"They kicked me out." I sob, jumbling up the words and leaving wet spots on his shirt from my tears. "I'm too much money. They couldn't do it anymore Zack! I'm too much of a burden!"

"Maddie" Zack says sternly, pulling back to look at my face. "You are not a burden. Your parents are wrong. You are the best thing that could have ever happened to them. They're going to regret this."

Just then Cody appears and upon seeing me balling my eyes out asks, "What happened?"

"Zack, can I talk to your brother alome for a second please?" I ask innocently.

"Sure." Zack says confused. "I have to run an errand now anyway." He kisses my cheek and hurriedly exits through the door and Cody comes closer to stand in front of me.

"What happened?" he repeats his question from earlier.

"Zack will fill you in later." I say. "I need to ask you a favor."

"What is it?" he asks.

Remembering Christina's words from the lobby sends goose bumps up my arms.

"I need you to use Zack's all access pass key and go to the suite across the hall from yours. Once you're there, I need you to set up a bunch of cameras that can be connected to London's TV so that it's possible to watch what's going on in the room as it happens." I say.

"Only if you tell me why and if it's for a good reason. You know how I hate breaking the rules." He replies.

"You know Christina, right? Well, I think she's going to get Zack to cheat on me. I don't know how, but it's going to happen, okay?" I say.

"Don't you trust my brother?" Cody asks.

"Absolutely!" I say. "It's her I don't trust."

After contemplating for a moment Cody finally says, "All right. Fine. I'll do it as soon as I can. But I still don't think this is such a good idea."

"Thanks." I say, ignoring that last part. "Text me or something when its ready please. I've gotta go."

I rush out of the door and make my way to London's apartment. I pray to god that she'll help me!

"London!" I say after she opens the door. I step into her glamorous suite before I say, "Look. My parents kicked me out and I have nowhere to go and I was wondering whether I could stay with you and I could pay rent and-"

"Sweetie, stop your babbling! Of course you can live here! It will be like a SUPER long sleepover!" she yells excited.

"Thank you so much London!" I say as I hug the heck out of her. She can be so nice and genrous when she wants to be. "Where should I stay?"

"There." She points to a door at the opposite end of her room.

When I enter the room I see a queen sized bed, my own bathroom, and a flat screen TV! Now I'm kinda glad my parents kicked me out! I sigh and flop down on the bed, totally exhausted.

Just then I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in London!" I yell. Since when does she knock?

"Not London." A low voice says. When the door is open, there is Zack, holding a teddy bear and a bag of my favorite candies. He sits down on the bed beside me and hands me the gifts. Aw! That was the "errand" he had to take care of! He always knows exactly what to do to make me feel better.

"I know it's not going to fix anything but I thought you could use some cheering up." Zack says sweetly. "You know what? This place isn't so bad. I think you'll like it. And if you need help with-"

I break him off with a passionate kiss. Before I get carried away again, I decide to pull away in order to properly thank him for the gifts.

"Thank you." I say wholeheartedly. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"You're welcome." He says as he smiles. "Do you want to talk?"

The remembrance of this afternoon brings tears to my eyes. Why am I crying?! I was so happy a couple of minutes ago with my new room! As my sobs continue, Zack once again puts his arms around me and lays his check on the top of my head. Surprisingly, my tears halt and all of a sudden Zack's presence next to me is all I can seem to focus on. Suddenly, a thought comes to my mind.

"Zack," I say slowly and nervously, facing him. "These gifts are great but there is something I want more than the bear and the candy. Will you give it to me?"

"Anything you want." He replies, looking like there is nothing he wants more than to give me something to make me feel better. He is just so sweet and perfect!

"You." I say simply.

"You've already got me" he tells me confused. "What are you talking about?"

I push him down gently on his back and lay on top of him. Then I press my lips to his and put my hands on his chest. My heart's beating like there's no tomorrow and my breaths get shorter. I decide to take the next step. Slowly, and with my hands shaking, I undo his top button. And then the next one. And then the one after that.

"I want you." I whisper again in his ear and feeling him shudder a little underneath me.

I hope he understands where I'm getting to now.

**Hey guys! It's taken me a little longer to update than usual! But this chapter is the longest I've ever written so yay me!!!!(Does London impersonation) Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!! Whenever someone reviews it makes my day!!! And thanks for reading. Also, I update faster when I get reviews (hint, hint) **


	6. Complications Arise

Complications Arise

_I hope he understands where I'm getting to now._

"Maddie…" Zack whispers in my ear. His breath makes tingles go down my spine.

"Shush." I say as I put my finger to his lips. As I make contact with his lips again, my head starts spinning. I get another button undone and stare down at him with half his shirt open. He's amazing! I can't wait any longer! I greedily grab the sides of his face and passionately kiss him.

"Maddie stop." Zack says as he grabs my hands and places me next to him on the bed.

"What?" I asked confused. What was he saying?

"Maddie we can't do this." he says. He's really ruining the mood now.

"Yes we can Zack. It's fairly easy." I shoot back at him.

"I don't want to do it." he says.

"Oh." I say. My voice breaks as rejection courses through me. I thought he loved me. I turn on my side, facing away from him. I try to hold myself together but fail miserably as tears run silently down my cheek. I never through myself at guys! I have always been the one rejecting them. But Zack is different… I feel an arm around my waist and after laying beside him for a minute or two, he sits up and rolls me on my back.

"Maddie, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. It came out wrong. Please forgive me." Zack says sincerely.

"Don't worry Zack." I say. "You made yourself pretty clear."

"I didn't say no to you because I didn't want you!" Zack says stubbornly.

"Then why?!" I demand.

"Because," he begins. "I didn't want to take advantage of you. You're going through a tough time right now and I don't want to make things harder or more complicated for you. And also, Cody told me you were feeling insecure about Christina. I just wanted our first time to be special. I didn't want us to do it because of Christina and her threats. Which, by the way, you don't have to worry over. She means nothing to me. You're all that I want; all that I need. I love you sweet thang."

His last sentence has me smiling a goofy grin. He may not have known that that was the first time he said he loved me since we started dating, but I certainly do. The pain from the rejection seeps away into a new feeling. Love. I know that Zack cares for me, but in the back of my mind, I think I have always thought I was just a crush he had. But I know now that that's not true. He cares and loves me more than anyone else in my life ever has. And now I know how I feel about him.

"Zackary Martin, I am completely and utterly in love with you." I say with a smile on my face. Zack grins and looks like he's in total bliss before he hugs me tightly.

"You have now idea how long I've waited to hear you say that." He whispers in my ear. I smile. Finally I start to feel the effects of drowsiness as I close my eyes and turn on my side.

"I'm feeling kinda tired." I say.

"Ok." Zack says still happy. He sits up and turns to get off of the bed.

"Wait." I say, feeling vulnerable. "Could you still with me? I don't want to be alone right now."

Zack smiles before he says, "Of course sweet thang."

We get under the covers and Zack slides towards me, pressing him against me as he puts an arm around my waist. I feel so safe and secure in Zack's arms, which makes me fall asleep almost right away.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In my half awake half asleep head, I hear shuffling about in London's main room. Too tired to care about it, I close my eyes again happy that Zack still has his arm around me. Suddenly the door opens and the lights turn on, making my eyes squint until I get adjusted to the light. The sight in front of me makes my eyes pop open in surprise. Cody, Mr. Moseby, Carrie, and London are standing on my side of the bed with bewildered expressions on their faces.

"Well…" Mr. Moseby says, prompting me for an explanation.

"I can explain." I say, trying to stall.

"Please do." Carrie says worried.

I remover my way out of Zack's grip on me to stand in front of them before I say, "I was having a bad day yesterday and I was very upset, so Zack stayed and comforted me-"

"Looks like he did a lot for than that." London says with a smirk on her face.

"Nothing happened!" I yell. "We just fell asleep together. We're dressed for god's sake! Don't you believe me?"

"Yes. Carrie I do believe she is telling the truth. She hates to lie. And frankly, she's not good at it." Mr. Moseby says.

"Alright, fine." Carries sighs, "But don't let it happen again."

"Of course." I say before asking, "Why are all of you in here anyway?"

"When you were late to your shift, Mr. Moseby got worried and when we couldn't find Zack either, we thought we'd look for you." Cody says.

"What time is it?!" I ask. I can't lose my job, especially not now.

London, while looking at her watch, says, "Well the little hand is pointing-"

"Noon." Cody says, beating her too the punch.

"Oh my gosh." I say shocked. "Mr. Moseby, I am so sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't let it happen again." He replies and leaves. The others follow him and Zack and I are left alone in the room.

I turn to see a still sleeping Zack before I grab my clothes and run into the bathroom to change. Once I'm done, I kiss Zack on the forehead before running out of the suite and to the lobby.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After working for three hours, I start getting bored and wonder where Zack is. Could he really still be sleeping? Probably, I answer my question and chuckle to myself.

"Hey. What's so funny?" asks a familiar voice. I look up to see Brad my ex-boyfriend standing in front of me with a grin on my face.

"Oh nothing." I say with bitterness in my voice. Brad was one of the jerks I dated and broke up with when he wanted me to do it with him.

"Come on Maddie. Don't be mad." He pleaded, "I came to make amends."

"What?" I ask confused.

"I want to apologize for how I treated you before. It was wrong. I'm sorry." He says believingly.

"Oh." I say taken aback. "Well thanks Brad. That means a lot to me."

"Maybe we can be friends." He says more like a question rather than a statement.

"Sure." I say and smile. I go around the counter to put my arms around him. I always liked Brad as a person. We just weren't meant to be together as a couple. When I let go of him, I see a smile on his face.

"Thanks Maddie." He says playing with a lock of hair near my face and the elevator dings. "You're really beautiful. You know that? I don't know why I ever let you go."

Feeling uncomfortable, I try to take a step back, but he holds me in place.

"Let go of her." Comes an angel's voice. Zack's voice. Always my protector.

"Or else what?" Brad taunts Zack. "You can't stop from holding this hot stuff."

"Oh yeah-" Zack starts.

"Brad you need to leave." I say sternly. He gives me an angry look before turning around and storming out of the lobby. Scared by how Zack is going to react, I turn around slowly and say, "I am so sorry."

"You should be." Zack spat. Why is he so angry?

"Zack, I really didn't do anything wrong." I defend myself, not wanting a fight.

"Exactly. It's what you didn't do." He says, still upset.

"What are you talking about?" I ask confused.

"Why didn't you tell him that I was your boyfriend?" he says. "Are you ashamed of me or something?"

"No!" I yell. "Absolutely not! I didn't want you to get hurt! He probably would have beaten you up or something!"

"I can take care of myself." Says Zack stubbornly.

"It just never came out." I say upset. I didn't want Zack to be hurt or feel bad because of me.

"Okay. Fine. Let's just drop it." he says.

Before I have a chance to say anything else an annoying voice pierces through the air with a, "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee."

Christina comes stumbling through the lobby as she attempts to make her way to the elevator. Who in their right mind gets drunk at three in the afternoon? Something feels fishy…

"Hey Zackie!" she yells. "What are you-" she starts before running into a wall.

"She's drunk." Says Zack with a hint of shock in his voice. "I'm going to take her to her suite and make sure she's okay. See you later sweet thang." He says and gives me a quick peck on the cheek before going to Christina and entering the elevators with her.

Since my shift is over, I decide to see what she's up to. I enter the elevator and press the button for London's floor, feeling grateful that Cody has the cameras already set up. Once the doors open I sprint across the hall and enter London's room, which was unlocked. I quickly plop down on the coach and use the remote to turn on the TV to video 3 which is the one the camera for the front room is set up too. Right away I see Zack and Christina standing in the main room of her suite.

"Oh!" London yells as she points. "Zack is on the TV! I didn't know he was a movie star!"

"Shush!" I yell. London takes a seat next to me and we watch what's happening.

"Hey Zack. Did I ever tell you how hot you are? I mean look at your hair!" Christina says. Acid turns up in my stomach as she ruffles his hair. Suddenly she grabs his hand and pulls him with her into her bedroom. For a "drunken" person she has great aim for the doorknob and Zack's hand. I quickly switch to video 4 to get the bedroom camera. Good job Cody!

"What are we doing in here?" asks Zack.

"Zackie," Christina begins as she lays on the bed. "You are so nice to me. Thanks for coming up here with me." She says slurring her words a bit.

"Sure." Says Zack.

"Will you lay here with me?" she asks Zack. I clutch the remote with all of my strength.

"Umm…okay." Zack says as he lies down beside her.

"Oh my gosh!" she yells. "I think there's something on your neck!"

"What?!" Zack asks, probably thinking it was a bug.

Christina leans her face towards Zack to get a better "look" at what's on his neck and my knuckles turn white at the amount of pressure I'm putting on the remote. Quickly she puts herself on top of him and kisses him fully on the mouth. The remote breaks in half and my jaw turns slack.

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been taking me a long time to update! I have preseason everyday and have been so tired! Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for reading!!!!!!!!**


	7. Love Above All Things Else

_Christina leans her face towards Zack to get a better "look" at what's on his neck and my knuckles turn white at the amount of pressure I'm putting on the remote. Quickly she puts herself on top of him and kisses him fully on the mouth. The remote breaks in half and my jaw turns slack. _

Almost immediately, Zack pulls his lips from hers, though she's still on top of him.

"Christina, stop." Zack pleads. "You don't want this. You deserve better than this."

"What I deserve is you." Christina, the she-dog, replies before undoing a button. Much to my delight, Zack grabs her wrists and puts them down by her waist before scooting away from her out of the bed and onto the floor.

As he's making his way to the door, Christina says, "Zack, don't go! I know you want me. She'll never have to know."

Her last sentence has my heart speeding rapidly. Zack's been known to be fickle with women and has never been in a relationship for this long. How long can he last?

Zack, with his hand half way to the doorknob, spins around quickly to face Christina. He says, "Are you kidding me?! Is this your version of a joke?! I finally have the girl I love in my arms and you want me to throw it all away to be with some slut! Forget it!"

And with that he storms out of the room. Although Zack has flat out told her no (finally!) I'm still hurt. Even though he didn't mean to be, he was still unfaithful. How could he be so careless? I should have told him how I felt about that evil witch.

"Maddie, are you ok?" London asks nervously. Its then that I notice that I'm still clutching her remote, or should I say broken remote, in my hands tightly. I would apologize but I can't form any coherent words at the moment. Feeling numb, I get up from the couch and throw away the broken remote before heading towards my room; hoping sleep would eventually overtake me.

It didn't.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I've never been one to me overdramatic or take things out of proportion but I can't stop the pain I feel. To see the man I am in love with in the arms of another women hurts to the point of no return. I'm so mad at him! How could he do this! I know it's not his fault but still… Too upset to continue working, I put up the closed sign and throw Mr. Moseby a pleading look. London must have filled him in on what happened because he nodded slowly before throwing me a pitying look.

Quickly trying to get out of the lobby before bursting into tears, a sweet, melodic voice stops me in my tracks.

"Maddie." Zack says, not knowing that I know the secret he's keeping from me.

"I'm kinda busy Zack." I say with my back towards him.

"Maddie?" Zack asks sounding hurt. "What's wrong?"

I can just picture his face. His eyes slightly squinted, eyebrows raised, looking like a god…so innocent. When I turn around, I see that the picture in my head didn't do him justice. I find myself lost in his eyes once again. Remembering his question I respond, "I'm fine Zack. What do you want?"

"Can we talk for a minute? Somewhere private?" he asks sweetly.

"Um…ok. Sure Zack. Follow me." I say, leading him towards the hall by the lobby. When we get to the hall I step inside a small closet for cleaning supplies and Zack soon follows me. He closes the door. This is the part I've been dreading. For some reason I get a bad feeling. Like he's going to break up with me or something like that.

"I have to tell you something." Zack says seriously, looking guilty. "Yesterday…when I went with Christina to help her…she asked me to get on the bed with her…and I said yes…and then she kissed me. I'm so, so, so sorry Maddie! I swear I had no idea what she had planned! I'm so sorry!"

Many emotions fill me at once. The most prominent, relief. Relief that Zack wouldn't keep a secret from me. Relief that he wouldn't lie to me. Relief that he was still mine.

The other emotion was irate. Finally I had the chance to ask all the questions that would have given me away before. So I decide to release all the anger and hurt built up inside me.

"How could you be so stupid!" I yell. "Why the hell would you get on the same bed with her?! What were you thinking?! Oh that's right. You weren't! You never do!"

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop Maddie! Where is all this coming from?! I ask myself. Afraid of what I've done, I sneak a little pick at Zack's facial expression.

His face is slightly turned and his jaw is a little stiff. But he's hiding what he's feeling from me. I can tell. Because of his eyes. The intensity they hold and the hurt behind that reveals that I've struck a nerve. He's never been the smart one and hates being reminded of it.

And then I feel the worst emotion of all. Guilt. I should have trusted him. I should have never made Cody put those cameras in Christina's room. But most of all, I feel guilt because I've hurt him too. He didn't do anything wrong. And yet, I've managed to make him feel bad once again.

"I screwed up. I know. I'm sorry, I really am." He says with all sincerity. "If you don't forgive me…I would understand." His voice breaks at the last words he's said and he looks at the floor.

"Zack." I say as I put a finger under his chin to make him look up at me. "Don't worry. I forgive you. I love you more than you know. I'm sorry too."

"For what?" he asks.

Uh-oh. I hadn't planned on letting him know about the cameras yet. "For overreacting." I say, skillfully lying. He smiles and pulls me to him. I sigh in relief when he does this.

I lean up to put my lips on his. Immediately I feel the tightening of my stomach and my heart rate speeds up. Feeling too far away from him, I press myself as close to him as I can and run my fingers through his hair. He wraps his arms around my waist. When we're really getting into it, the door opens, illuminating us with bright light that makes our eyes squint.

There Mr. Moseby stands glaring ferociously at Zack. I find it hilarious how he always seems to blame Zack. I guess I'm like a daughter to him.

"How many times do I have to tell you Zackary Martin?! No kissing in the lobby!" he yells.

"But we're not in the lobby." Zack replies with an adorable smirk.

"Your breaks almost over Madeline." He says before closing the door once more.

"Now where were we?" Zack says in a husky voice.

When we kiss again, Zack presses me to the wall and I wrap my legs around his waist. Putting my hands on his abs, I move my hands towards his shirt buttons. After I undo about three buttons or so, (I've lost track) the door opens again.

"Whoa!" says Cody. "Come on Zack! We gotta do our history project!"

"In a minute." Zack mumbles, still kissing me.

"Now!" Cody says, grabbing Zack's collar and pulling him out of the closet. I giggle and after straightening my hair, go back to the candy counter to continue my shift.

When I have about 20 minutes left of work, I get a text from Brad. Surprised, I open it and read. It says, **Hey Maddie. Sorry about the other day. I wanna make it up to you. Can we meet for lunch tomorrow at 12 in the restaurant across the Tipton?**

I reply back, saying that I would and that I forgave him. That whole day seems clouded in my memory from my last encounter with Zack. Speaking of the love of my life, I decide to text him too.

**Hey baby. Meet me in London's suite tonight. Wanna talk. Love you! – M**

Almost immediately I get his response,

**Sure sweet thang. C ya there. Love you! I dweefejwj**

I laugh. Cody must have wrestled the phone away from Zack.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Zack comes in looking as sexy as ever, I'm laying on my back on my bed. He lays down with me, putting an arm around me.

"What is it you wanted to talk about sweet thang?" he asks.

I sit up to face him, taking a deep breath.

"Well first, I was wondering if you could come with me tomorrow to go to my parent's house to collect my things. I don't really wanna go there alone and I'm tired of wearing London's clothes and my candy counter uniform." I say.

"Of course. I'll always be here for you." He says and gives me a sympathetic smile. "Anything else on your mind?"

"College." I say, dreading the word. The look on his face tells me he's been avoiding it too. "It starts next week. I'm going to be busy most of the week I think. But we'll have weekends." I say, trying to make it sound better than it really is.

"Yeah, I know." He says with a slightly sad voice. "It's going to be harder than last year."

"We can get through it. It won't be so bad. And pretty soon you'll be in college too." I say.

"If I can pass high school." Zack chuckles.

"You will." I say with full certainly.

Zack looks at his watch before saying, "I'm sorry Maddie. I've gotta go."

"Oh. Ok." I say disappointed. "Love you."

"Love you too sweet thang." He says before kissing me quickly on the lips and quickly running out the door. It must be late if he rushed out that early. I look on the clock to see its 11:58. Two minutes until his curfew. Aw, he risked getting grounded for me!

But the room feels empty without him.

I sigh as I get under the covers and lay my head on my pillow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long again! I just started high school and we get like four hours of homework a night! It's crazy! I'll try to update more often though! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!! Even if its just one sentence! I love it! It keeps me going! Thanks everyone for supporting me! **


	8. Strings Becoming Undone

**Strings Becoming Undone**

_I sigh as I get under the covers and lay my head on my pillow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…_

I awake to the sun streaming in through the windows. As I squint my eyes and get up to stretch, I can't help but think that my life is perfect. I've got the love of my life, great friends, an awesome job… family…My heart sinks at the word. I feel like I have no family now. A family is supposed to comfort me when I feel sad, to tell me how much they love me everyday, and to make me feel wanted. Suddenly, I realized I just described Zack. At this thought, I smile.

After I get dressed in London's black skirt and pink tank top, I'm ready to go. I exit the suite quietly. Since it's not noon yet, London's probably not up. When I get to the familiar Martin suite door, I knock gently, hopping that I won't wake anyone up who isn't already. Cody answers the door looking like he's the happiest person ever. I really don't understand morning people.

"Hey Maddie." Cody whispers since his mother, Carrie, is asleep on the pull out couch. "Come on in."

"Thanks." I say in a hushed voice as I step inside. "Where's your brother?"

"Sleeping." He says.

"I'll wake him up. He said he'd go somewhere with me this morning. Do you think that would be okay?" I ask.

"Yeah sure. Good luck." Cody whispers and then goes back to doing his homework on the kitchen table.

I tiptoe my way to the twin's door and slowly open it, not wanting to disturb Carrie in her slumber. When I close the door and turn around a small giggle escapes me. Zack has managed to throw his comforter to the ground in his sleep.

I pick up his comforter and place it on the bed. It smells like Zack; so good.

"Zackie, get up." I say at a normal voice. As I expected, his reply is heaving breathing.

I sit at the edge of his bed and run my hand through his hair.

"Zack?" I ask. Still nothing.

Hmm. What could wake him up?

I lay down to think and relax for a moment. After lying peacefully next to him for a couple of minutes, Zack shifts in his sleep to his side facing me and puts an arm around my waist.

"Zack?" I ask a little louder this time.

Still nothing. He must still be sleeping. I wish I could just lay here forever with him holding me and me being able to always look at his dazzling face with no worries inside of me. And I can once I get through today.

All of a sudden, an idea hits me. I know what will definitely wake him up.

I place my hand on his warm cheek and brush my lips against his. Even when he's unconscious, it feels like a million lightning bolts are going off inside of me. Really getting into it, I lie on top of him and place my hands against him. Satisfaction hits me when I feel him respond. He's awake! He wraps his arms around my waist again as we continue to kiss passionately. After a couple of moments, he tears his lips away from mine to catch his breath. I can't believe I have that effect on him.

He looks at me questioningly and dazed. He's so cute when he's confused!

"Good morning Zack. Ready to go?" I try to say in a sexy voice.

"Yeah." Zack says energetically. "No way could I be asleep after that! Just let me get dressed."

"Sure baby. I'll meet you at your car." I say before kissing him on the cheek (I didn't trust myself to be able to kiss him on the lips and be able to pull away) and grabbing his keys.

When I finally get to the parking lot and sit down on the passenger seat in the car, reality seeps back to me. My parents want nothing to do with me, especially my father. My family is breaking apart, not that it was ever together in the first place. Hold it together Maddie! You can do it! Wait until after to break down!

The driver's side door opens and Zack sits down. After closing the door and putting on his seatbelt, he gives me a sympathetic smile before starting the car and driving away from the Tipton.

After a thirty minute drive to my house, Zack parks in the driveway and we both step out of the car. I feel frozen in place as Zack comes over to me and kisses me on the forehead.

"It's okay sweet thang." He says. "You can do this. I'll be right here."

And with that we make our way to the front door. After ringing the doorbell, I feel my heart start to quicken. My mother opens the door without a word, and Zack takes my hand in his as we step inside.

"Get your things quickly Madeline." My father says curtly. "Who's this boy?"

"I'm Zackary Martin." The love of my life says.

"Go on! Get your things and then get out!" my father yells at me. Zack looks like he wants to punch him so badly. "You wait here Zackary."

Not wanting to leave Zack alone with my father, I linger. Zack gives me a smile to show he's okay and I hurriedly run up the stairs to my room. After filling only three boxes with my things, I head downstairs. I don't want to keep Zack too long down there and frankly, I don't have much to pack.

Once I get to the bottom of the stairs, Zack takes my boxes from me effortlessly and goes to put them in the trunk of his car.

"Goodbye Dad." I say sadly. Even though I hate him and he's hurt me, he's still my father and I can't forget all the years we've spent together. "I'll miss you."

"Whatever you worthless slut. Get out of my house. I don't want to see you around here." He says.

"What?" I ask my voice cracking. "What did I do?"

"Absolutely nothing that's what! You never helped us enough in the money department. You will never amount to anything you piece of trash!" he yells at me.

With tears blurring my vision, I turn around to run out of the house and see Zack standing at the doorstep with his fists clenched. Knowing that matters would only get worse, I grab Zack's arm and make my way to the car.

We have a quiet drive home as everything my father says starts to sink in to me. Do I really mean that little to him? Tears silently steam down my cheeks as we pull into the parking space at the Tipton. Zack gets out of the car and is immediately at my door pulling it open and lifting me out of my seat and into his arms. I clutch his jacket tightly as I weep into his shoulder, leaving a wet puddle there. No matter how much pain I'm in right now, I know I can get through it with Zack in my arms.

After 20 long minutes of crying, I finally get a handle on myself.

Zack says sweetly, "I'll bring your boxes to your room. Is there anything you wanted to do today?"

"Actually I'm planning on meeting a friend." I say.

"Which one?" Zack asks curious.

"Brad." I respond, feeling guilty that I hadn't told him before.

"Oh." Zack says with hurt disguised in his voice.

"I can cancel though if you want." I say, trying anything to make him smile.

"No. It's fine. Go and have fun. Where are you going?" he asks.

"To Starbucks. Do you want to come?" I ask.

"Three's a crowd." He says and smiles. "I'll see you later baby."

"Alright." I say sweetly before leaning up to kiss him on the lips quickly.

We go opposite directions, Zack going to the elevators and me going to the front entrance of the Tipton. Already I miss him. On my way to the bus stop, I run into Cody, who is taking a jog through the city.

"Hey Maddie." He says. "Where are you going?"

"To meet a friend." I say politely.

"It's not that Brad guy is it?" he asks hopefully.

"How do you know him?" I ask, knowing they've never met before.

"He came to the suite this morning after you and Zack left. He said he wanted to talk to you and wondered if you were at our place. He said that's where London said you would be. He thought I was Zack at first and started pushing me around, saying that I better stay away from you or else bad things would happen. He's a really freaky dude." Cody finishes with a scared look in his eyes.

"Wow. Um…thanks for telling me Cody. You're a good friend." I say shocked.

"No problem. See you around." He says, and with that he takes off into a sprint.

Once I arrive at Starbucks, I see Brad sitting there with some kind of coffee drink in his hand. Remembering what Cody said about him earlier gets me pissed off. How dare him! He can't control me!

He smiles and waves at me and I take my seat across from him at the little coffee table.

"So good to see you." Brad says excitedly. "How have you been?"

"Okay. You?" I ask, disinterested in his response.

"Great!" he says. "Want some?" he asks putting his cup near my lips.

"No." I say dryly, pushing the cup away from my face.

"What's wrong?" he asks hurt.

"Did you go to the Martin suite this morning and threaten Cody. You better tell the truth." I say coldly.

"Fine." He says, not liking the topic. "I don't know which kid it was, but yeah. They aren't good for you hot stuff."

"Don't call me that ever again! You have no right to tell me who I can and can't hang out with!" I yell, getting the attention of a few nearby people.

"I'm so much better for you!" Brad yells.

"How?!" I screech.

"I'll show you!" he yells before grabbing me tightly by the arms and kissing me roughly on the lips. Trying to break free, I stand up. He's one step ahead of me though as he stands up with me and keeps me locked in his arms.

"Get off of her!" my angel's voice shouts. A couple of seconds later, I feel Brad release me. Zack had grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him against a wall.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Brad yells.

"He's my boyfriend you jerk! And I love him! Not you! Don't ever touch me again!" I shout.

"I should be with you!" he yells back, before punching Zack in the face.

"Zack!" I yell.

Zack punches him back in the gut and kicks him to the ground.

He turns to me and says, "Let's get out of here."

Before I can agree with him I see Brad pull out a small and shiny black thing and point it at Zack.

"Zack! Look out!" I yell and knock into him, trying to get him out of the line of fire.

And then I hear that fatal boom.

**Hey guys! I loved the reviews I got a TON but thought there would more:( But thanks SO much to everyone who did review. You made my day! Seriously! Sorry it's been so long. I couldn't find my plan on how I wanted the chapter written for a long time! But I promise updates will be weekly. Love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	9. Numbness

Numbness

_And then I hear that fatal boom. _

My eyes squint, ready for the pain. As we're lying on the ground in that split second of time where there is complete silence, I hope the bullet hit me. Killed me even for it not to have hurt Zack. He doesn't deserve to be injured or worse because of some jealous physco ex-boyfriend. That bullet should hit me!

But it doesn't.

After I realize this, I look down to see the love of my life's hand on his side, where blood is pouring out like there is an endless supply of it. Zack's eyes are squinted and his screams make no sound because he is in too much pain. At the sight of this horrible image, my body goes completely numb, in a state of shock. Quickly though my senses return to me and I yell "Somebody call 911!" to the shocked civilians in the coffee shop.

Once I see the cashier quickly dialing and speaking feverishly, I focus on Zack. His breathing is shallower and quicker. I take his hand in a desperate attempt to help him stay conscious and say, "Zack, honey, can you hear me?"

He opens his eyes slowly and says in a croaky voice, "Maddie…the pain…"

"I know. It's going to be okay. I'm gonna be right here. You have to stay awake Zack! You need to stay with me!" I say, tears coming down my face.

His grip on my hand starts to loosen and his eyes are slowly starting to close.

"No Zack! Don't!" I say. But it's too late. He's slipped into unconsciousness.

I look out the window of the shop and see Brad running as fast as he can with a few good people chasing after him who saw the incident. I'm too upset to even be mad at him at the moment. And then I see Carrie sprint into the coffee shop with a heartbreaking look on her face. Once she sees me with her son, her hand flies to her mouth and she sinks to her knees. Once she regains her strength and makes it too us she grabs Zack's other hand.

"They told me what happened…" she says, her voice cracking.

"I…" I begin to say before we hear sirens and see flashing red lights. The EMT's rush in and carefully put Zack on a stretcher. Cody comes in then and his eyes start to fill with tears too. Carrie follows the EMT's out of the store and to the ambulance with shaky legs. I start to follow too, only to be stopped by one of the EMT's who says, "There is only one person in the ambulance at a time. Sorry mam."

I need to be with Zack! I can't leave him!

"No!" I yell.

"Come on Maddie. I'll drive you to the hospital. Lets go." I hear Cody say in my ear from behind me.

"No! No! NO!" I scream, becoming hysterical now.

The EMT quickly gets inside the ambulance and they speed away like lightning. I start to pathetically run after it. Cody catches up to me and wraps his arms around me to stop me but I keep kicking and fighting back, saying, "I need to be with him! Let me go!"

"Maddie, we'll be with him sooner if we get in the car and go to the hospital!" Cody yells, always the voice of reason.

Knowing that he is right, I sprint to his unlocked car and get in, quickly putting on my seatbelt. Cody gets in after me and starts the seemingly long drive to the hospital. I'm so worried I start hyperventilating. Zack has to be okay! I can't believe Cody can drive under the circumstances. I mean, it's his brother that's in the hospital!

When we get to the ER, we hurriedly sprint to the waiting room. Immediately we spot Carrie crying in the corner. When we approach her, she takes Cody in her arms and they both weep, not caring of the noise they are making. I feel my knees give out and I continue sobbing as I'm pressed against a seat. How could this have happened? Last night I was happy kissing Zack and now…

This is all my fault. I should have never even visited Brad in the first place! Cody told me! Even Zack hinted at it! I'm such an idiot! This whole thing is my fault! I'm the one who is causing Zack's pain.

"Excuse me…" an elderly man says in front of us.

I rise to my feet, leaning for support on Cody when he breaks apart from his mother.

"Yes?" Carrie answers with red eyes.

"I'm Zackary Martin's doctor." He says.

"How is he?" I ask almost before he finishes his sentence.

"Well?" Cody asks, as impatient as I am.

**Hey guys! Yeah I know this is a really short chapter! I've been sick but I have a long weekend this weekend so I will probably put up the next chapter on Thursday night if you guys review!!!!! Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	10. My World Crashing Down

**My World Crashing Down **

"_Well?" Cody asks, as impatient as I am. _

"Zack lost a lot of blood from the shot." The doctor says, "The impact from the fall also caused him to have a concussion."

"What are you saying doctor?" Carrie asks worriedly.

After several moments the doctor finally explains, "He won't wake up."

My heart sinks at his words, feeling like its hit rock bottom. The numbness comes back to me once more and I feel like I'm in a dream. A nightmare rather. A sudden urgency comes over me.

"I need to see him." I say to the doctor. It wasn't a question. I needed to see for myself that he was still breathing, coma or no coma.

"Down the hall. Third door on your left." He says.

The numbness has taken over my body like a drug. I can barely walk to the room my legs are shaking so hard. But still, I feel like I'm in a trance, not noticing anything or anyone around me. Once I get into Zack's room, my eyes immediately find their way to his bed. For a moment, total peace and serenity blanket over me because I know he's still living, still with me. I walk over to his bedside and even though I know he's not waking up anytime soon, my heart still drops when his eyes don't open.

"Zack, baby?" I ask tentatively. Even though I know he won't respond, it still hurts when he doesn't. I had to try though. I could never give up, always wishing for a miracle like in all of the sappy movies.

"Honey," I say, trying to hold back the tears. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but you have to wake up. I need to see your eyes again, I can't live without them. I need to hear your voice. Whether you're shouting or crying, I need to hear it. I need to hear you. Just say my name Zack, please! Wake up. I know you can do it."

As expected, I got no response.

"Hello Maddie…would you mind me having some alone time with my son?" Carrie asks, nervously.

"Sure…I'll be back later." I say, while still looking at Zack. Tearing myself away from him makes me feel like I'm being ripped away from a part of myself. As I leave the room, the numbness washes over me again.

"Maddie!" London's voice pierces through my thoughts. "Oh my gosh! I heard what happened! How are you holding up?"

"Take me home please." I say in a flat voice. "I need to lie down."

"Sure, okay. Let's go." London says, being a good friend.

The car ride home was a blur. It was like I was sleeping while conscious. When I "wake up", I see we're in the suite.

"I know what will cheer you up! Ice cream! I'll go buy some! Wait here!" she says, excitedly.

"London-" I began to say to tell her no amount of ice cream will help. But she's already gone.

Gone. Just like Za-

Stop! I can't think like that!

There is a rapid knocking at the door. Wow, that was fast. London must have been really hungry. When I open the door, I see the man I despise the most in my life standing in front of me.

"Hi Maddie." Brad says like nothing happened today.

I can form no words. I really think I'm seeing red.

"How is he?" he asks, tentatively.

"He's in a frickin coma you idiot!" I yell.

He yells back, "I'm sorry! I wish I could take it back!"

This really gets me furious. I scream, "You wish you could take it back?! I wish I could take back every moment I spent with you! You asshole! You ruined his life! He may never wake up! The last memory I'll have of him will be when he was in pain from a bullet! Your bullet! I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

Releasing all my anger I jump on him, crashing him to the ground. The punches immediately start flying. I feel like I have no control over my body right now, like I'm having an out of body experience.

"Maddie!" London yells, dropping her ice cream and dragging me off Brad. Brad quickly gets up and goes out of the suite. Running, like he always does the little coward.

"I need to go to the hospital!" I tell London, crying. "I tried being strong and staying away, but I can'! I need to see him! What if he's awake and I don't even know?'

"Alright Maddie." London says, sadly. "Let's go."

After sprinting to her limo, we ride in silence. When we get to the hospital, I run to the waiting room and see Cody.

"How is he?" I say as soon as I spot him.

"The same. I got to visit him. The nurses are in there now though." He says as he sits back down.

I run to his room, with a bad feeling in the bottom of my heart. The doctor and three nurses are there with Zack, seeming to perform some tests.

"How is he doing?" I ask.

As soon as the doctor sees me, I see worry displayed on his face as he says, "You need to leave now Miss."

Something doesn't feel right. I ask, "What's happening?"

Then the worst sound I have ever heard pierces through the air. That loud note from the machine. The flat lined sound. The doctor pushes me out of the room while the nurses start doing compressions on Zack's chest.

"I'm sorry Maddie." The doctor says. "We did all we could."

"No!" I yell.

The beep is still going and the nurses have given up. I feel like my whole world is crashing down. In the middle of my immense grief, I memory pops into my head. It's of the day when I moved out of my parent's house._"No way could I be asleep after that! Just let me get dressed." _An idea sparks in my head. Anything is worth trying at this point. I break out of the doctor's tight grip on me and I rush to Zack's side, bumping a nurse out of the way.

Then I press my lips against his and put my hands on either side of his mouth.

**Hey guys! Please don't hate me! I'll try to update by Monday. I hate keeping you guys in suspense. Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	11. Miracles Happen

Miracles Happen

Then I press my lips against his and put my hands on either side of his mouth.

At first, nothing happens. Those couple of seconds felt like the longest years of my life. But then, a familiar feeling overcomes me, the tingles and the desirable feelings. But most importantly, fireworks light up my sky once more, putting on their own little show for me. Before I can understand what's happening I feel myself pull away for air, while hearing the normal beeping of the machine.

"Maddie?" Zack asks in a shaky and shallow voice.

No words can form from by mouth at this moment, so I just put my arms around him, never wanting to let go.

"Oh my god! Zack! Honey!" Carrie shouts as she runs over to his bedside.

"I can't believe it!" Cody exclaims, while taking his brother's hand. "How can this be doctor?"

"It's nothing I've ever seen before, that's for sure." The doctor replies. "But my theory is that the kiss initiated some sort of palpitating of the heart, which further helped the body come out of his deadly state. How do you feel Mr. Martin?"

"I…feel really…tired…and sore." Zack says looking like it takes all of his energy to form those words.

"My prognosis is that you should be just fine Mr. Martin. But just to be on the safe side, I would like to have some of our fellow nurses perform some tests on you to make sure that you're stable. If everything turns out well, you should be able to leave by tomorrow afternoon. But I would like it if you didn't over exert yourself, by using a wheelchair." The doctor says.

"What?" Zack asks, not liking the idea at all.

"For how long?" Carrie asks, concerned for her first born.

"Only for a couple of days I think deems necessary." He replies. "Now if you all could give us a couple of minutes to make sure that Zack's ok…"

"Oh sure." Carries says quickly. "We'll be right back honey."

And with that she kisses his forehead and leaves the room, followed by Cody.

"Miss?" the doctor hints for me to leave. I don't even notice that I still have my arms around him, standing awkwardly by his bed.

"It's alright…she can stay" Zack says weakly.

"No, I should go." I say, not wanting anything more than to keep contact with him. With all my willpower I can muster up, I untangle myself from him and leave the room. When I catch up with the rest of the group, Cody comes over to me and hugs me tightly. The comfort is greatly appreciated, but I'm still wishing for another set of arms.

"He's going to be ok." He whispers in my ear. "You saved his life. Thank you so much."

I respond by squeezing his shoulders, letting him know that I heard him. Everything seemed to be moving so fast. This morning we were happy together, he almost dies a couple of minutes ago, and now he's safe and sound if all the tests turn out ok.

"Hey guys!" London yells when she sees us. "I heard about what happened. Yay Zack! This is great! Hey, I've got an idea! We should throw a party for him! Huh? Huh?"

After Cody releases me he says, "I don't know London…he's had a pretty rough day…I don't think we should push him."

"Oh c'mon! You know Zack. He'll love it!" she exclaims, obviously not giving up anytime soon.

"Ok London, we'll do it." I say. "How about I stay the night here and bring him over when it's ready while you guys set up?"

"Are you sure your good to stay here the night Maddie?" Carrie asks.

"It'll be great. No worries." I say, desperately wanting time alone with Zack.

Just then, the doctor comes in to report the good news that Zack is okay and that he can go home tomorrow if he promises to visit every Saturday to have check-ups.

After everyone expresses much joy in the good news we've just received, Carrie says, "Well, why don't we go and say goodnight to Zack? We'll text you when we're ready for you to bring him over."

"Okay." I reply.

After everyone has left, I practically sprint to Zack's room. As soon as I'm about to open the door, the nurse stops me and says, "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over. The waiting room will be open all night though."

"Can't I just-"I start to say.

"Rules are rules. Sorry." She interrupts and then walks away.

With my hopes down I start walking to the waiting room when an idea hits me. What would Zack do? Would he really be tied down my rules? No way. Deciding to be sneaky, I wait behind a corridor until all official people are cleared from around Zack's door. And then I quickly, but quietly creep into his room.

"Maddie!" Zack says with all his might, happy to see me.

Once I turn around and see his face, my whole world seems to lighten up. I sprint to his bedside, grab his hand, and kiss his cheek.

"I thought visiting hours were over?" Zack asks confused.

"Do you really think that's going to stop me." I say with a devilish grin.

"That's my sweet thang." Zack smirks. "C'mon. Lay next to me."

"I don't know…" I say unsurely. I've already broken enough hospital rules for one night.

"Please?" Zack asks with a pouty face and scoots over, already knowing my answer.

Feeling giddy I reply, "Ok!" and scoot in next to him.

He puts his arm around me as I lean against him. I run my hand over his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat.

"Can I ask you something?" Zack questions.

"Sure, anything." I reply quickly, wanting to fulfill his every whim.

"I don't really remember everything. What happened to me?" he asks.

Anything but that, I mentally reply in my head. "You were … shot… by Brad after you defended me…and the bullet went to your chest…" I say, feeling an immense amount of guilt. It was my entire fault he was laying here right now. "I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry?" Zack asks surprised. "Maddie, you didn't do anything wrong. Heck, I'm in the idiot who fought a guy with a gun."

I'm about to protest, by he quickly stops that notion by pressing his soft lips against mine. After a couple of minutes we break apart, both breathing shallowly.

"I was so afraid I'd never be able to do that again." I say.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Zack responds.

I don't know when, but somewhere in the night we fell asleep in each other's arms. The way it's supposed to be.

The beeping of my phone wakes me up. When I open the text message I see the message saying that everyone was ready for Zack's arrival. I quickly look at the clock and notice that it's 2:00 p.m. Wow. I must have been exhausted.

"Morning sleepy head. Or should I say afternoon." Zack laughs and kisses my head. "The doctor gave me the okay to go so whenever you're ready."

Still dazed, I look at Zack and see that he's dressed and looking anxious to leave. I don't' blame him.

"Yeah, let's go." I say excitedly, wanting to get him to the party. I hop off the bed and wheel the wheelchair in the corner over to him.

"Maddie, I don't really need that. The doctor was being paranoid." Zack says.

"Oh really?" I question.

"Yeah. Watch." He says, and before I realize what he's doing, he slides off the bed. As the doctor predicted, he was weak from the surgery and fell towards the ground. Before he could hurt himself once more, I ran over just in time to save his head from the floor.

"Zack, I know you want to keep your man pride, but you're using this wheelchair. You almost died in my arms yesterday! I'm not letting anything happen to you. No discussion about it. Hop on." I say firmly.

Refusing my help, he eventually gets himself on top of the chair. I start to wheel him out of the room, but he puts his hands on the wheels to stop me.

"I can push myself. Please let me keep this ounce of my so called "man pride" sweet thang." He says jokingly. He's still the same Zack I know, stubborn as heck.

"Okay." I relent. As we leave the hospital and go to the parking lot, I notice that Zack has a mischievous look in his eyes. I don't even want to know what he's thinking. Before I can't react to what's happening, Zack wheels himself behind me and grabs me by my waist onto his lap.

"Oh my gosh! What are you doing?!" I say frantically, trying to escape his vice grip on me.

"Relax baby." Zack whispers in my ear, sending shivers down my back. He then uses one arm to hold me and one arm to push him across the nearly empty parking lot. After a while of fun racing around the lot, we come upon my car which Mr. Moseby must have dropped off for me last night.

"Now, wasn't that fun?" Zack asks, once we get settled into the car.

"Yes." I say happily. "You're always surprising me."

Wanting to get to the Tipton almost on time, I force myself not to lean over and kiss him. Who knows how long we'd be here if I did. Once we get to the Tipton parking lot and Zack gets settled in his chair, I start pushing. He must be feeling tired again because he doesn't protest.

"I can't wait until I'm out of this thing." Zack says.

Once we get to the 23rd floor, I push him towards his room. Reaching around to take his all access pass out of his pocket, which of course he has, I open the door and push him into the dark room.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Zack asks.

"Here, let me turn on the light." I say.

"SURPRISE!" everyone shouts.

**Hey guys! Here it is! Sorry it took so long! I had to rewrite everything because my brother "accidently deleted it all". Hope it was worth the wait! PLEASE REVIEW! **


	12. Lots of Love

Lots of Love

"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled.

"Whoa!" Zack yelled surprised. "How the..? What?"

"This is your surprise party Zack!" London explained joyfully. "Welcome back!"

"Oh…wow. Thanks. I mean…I wasn't expecting this." Zack says, still dazed. He is too adorable.

After we all ate and got settled, I noticed a familiar girl with brown hair at the party. I was sitting with London at the table, while Zack was talking to this mystery girl on the couch. She was very pretty and an uncontrollable pang of jealousy ran through me as I saw them laughing.

"London, who is that?" I said, pointing to the girl.

"Oh! That's Max! Zack's friend from school. She doesn't hang around here to much, but when she heard about Zack's accident from Cody she asked me if she could come, so I said sure! That ok…?" London asks, seeing the expression on my face I was trying to hide.

"Yeah…just fine…" I say, not really into the conversation as I see her put a hand on Zack's knee. Normally, I'm not the jealous type and the gesture could deffenantly be considered along the lines of friends, but I've always felt protective of Zack. Most girls don't care about what's inside of him, just his looks.

Deciding that it's time for me to make an appearance, I sit down on the other side of Zack on the couch and stick out my hand. "Hi! My name is Maddie."

"Max." the girl says nicely. She still hasn't moved her hand though.

"Could you excuse us for a sec Max?" Zack says, while getting on the wheelchair.

"Sure. No prob." She says sweetly. Maybe I was wrong about her.

Zack winks at me as he starts wheeling himself towards the door. I follow, feeling excited as usual when I'm around him.

"Where are we going?" I ask, following him to the elevator.

"You'll see." He says, smirking. When we get off the elevator, I notice we're on the roof. Our special spot. "I just thought we could use some time alone."

"I like that idea." I say as we walk over to a couple of poolside chairs, the kind that are long and white. He gets on one of them and I quickly lay down next to him. Since there isn't a lot of room, I end up being half on top of him, which is fine with me. I notice Zack's eyes are closed. He looks so peaceful.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, worried about how the party affected him.

"Fine. Just tired." He replies softly while rubbing my back in circles.

There has been a question I've been meaning to ask him, but have been to afraid too. Playing with the buttons on his shirt, I muster up my courage to say it. "Zack…was it painful? I mean, I know of course it was. But…what was it like?" I want to know the pain I caused him.

Immediately knowing what I was talking about, Zack exhaled and opened his eyes. "It wasn't that bad…I wasn't awake for most of it…but I mean yeah it hurt…I'm not going to lie to you. The pain was unbelievable. But I'm okay now. It's not your fault." He says the last part firmly. Now I feel bad again. I'm making his pain about me! God, I was horrible. I'm the worst girlfriend ever! I –

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel a pair of warm lips press against mine. Forming no coherent thoughts anymore, I move my body so that I'm on top of him. My hands are running through his hair and his arms are hugging my waist tightly. Our breathing speeds up, as I put one my hands on his chest, feeling his muscles all over. Zack starts putting his hands under my shirt just slightly and my legs wrap around him.

"Oh! Wow! I'm sorry!" says an annoying voice in front of me. "I…um…your mom wanted me to get you. She said you'd be here…um…sorry. I'll leave you two alone." Max finishes as she quickly runs away.

"Well that was embarrassing." I say, trying to lighten mood as I hid my face in the crook of his neck.

Zack just laughs as he sits up. I get up to allow him to place himself on his wheelchair. As Zack uses his arm to move himself to the chair, his muscle gives out and he falls to the floor. Luckily, it was only about a foot drop, but of course I'm get worried about him once more.

When I sit down next to him, Zack says, "I've been on the floor way to much these days."

If he was more awake, he would have laughed at his little joke. I help him get settled in his chair and start to push it towards the elevator. When we're waiting for the elevator to reach his floor, he looks exhausted. Poor guy. When I knock on his door, much to my disappointment, Max answers the door.

"Hey. Everyone else left. Carrie is downstairs at her show and Cody is asleep. It's getting pretty late."

"What time is it?" I say as I enter the room with Zack.

"10:30." She says. Wow. Where did the time go? Maybe I fell asleep with Zack earlier. I laugh to myself at this.

"Aw. Is he asleep?" Max asks, looking at Zack.

I look down and see Zack with his eyes closed, not moving. He is so cute when he sleeps, he looks so innocent. "Oh. Yeah. I guess he is."

"Watch this. I do this to Zack whenever he falls asleep in class. Its hilarious." She says. Then she gets down to Zack's level and goes, "Zack! Look out! Zombie Mom is behind you!"

Zack responds by tightly shutting his eyes and gripping onto Max. "Don't let her…get me…" After a couple of seconds, he drops his arms and seems to go back to dreamless sleep.

Max is cracking up of course. "It's so cute when he does that don't you think?" she says, while still laughing.

"Yeah…I guess." I say, not liking how she called him cute. "I think we should wake him up now though."

"Good luck with that. Nothing I do works." She says.

"Watch and learn." I say smugly as I lean my face down and kiss Zack firmly on the lips. Immediately his eyes pop open and he mumbles that he'll be right back as he goes in his room.

"Good trick. I'll keep that in mind." She says.

Okay, that was not where I was going with that! She better not event think about it. "It only works when I do it. Sorry." I say sarcastically

After a couple of moments of awkward silence, Zack comes back in, dressed in his pajamas.

"I should get going." Says Max as I inwardly rejoice. "See you soon Zack."

"See you." Zack says as Max bends down to hug him.

"I'm so glad your okay." She whispers in his ear as she keeps holding on to him longer than I would have liked. Then she leaves and it's just me and Zack.

"So what do you want to do now?" he asks.

"Actually I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to head to my room. See you later sweetie." I say as I kiss him on the cheek.

"Alright sweet thang." He says, looking disappointed. I almost decide to stay, but I really need to have some alone time. I don't want to slip out about me being jealous of Max's relationship with him. He has enough problems to deal with.

So I leave the room, though it pains me to do so, and go to my shared suite with London. As soon as I enter my room, I turn off the lights and curl up in my bed, trying to let sleep wash away today's troubles.

I awake to some rustling next to me. I look at the clock and see that it's 2:00 a.m. and feel the presence of someone next to me. My first thought is robber! Put I'm immediately not worried as a familiar pair of arms wrap around me.

Suddenly feeling wide awake, I turn over so that I'm facing the love of my life.

"Shoot! I woke you up!" Zack says, whispering loudly.

"What are you doing here?!" I whisper also, trying to look stern, but my huge smile giving me away completely.

"I couldn't sleep." Zack says and I laugh quietly. "I missed you too much."

And for the second night in a row, we fall asleep in each others arms.

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry it took me so long to update! I had no idea what to write! But don't worry. I've got a plan now. Lol. Please review! It means so much to me when you do. Even if its just one word! **


	13. The Rollarcoaster of Love

The Rollercoaster of Love

_And for the second night in a row, we fall asleep in each others arms._

I see myself in a spa getting my nails done and hearing the nice peaceful music in the background. I feel the vibrations of the chair I'm sitting in and feel myself becoming totally relaxed.

Then I wake up.

It turns out that Zack's phone was ringing and vibrating that morning, so it got incorporated into my dream. Being too tired to laugh at this, I open my eyes against the blinding light and search for his phone. I already knew asking him to get it would be a waste of time, since he's like a rock in the morning. Plus, the poor guy really needs his sleep.

I slip my hand into his right front pocket and pull out his shaking phone. It's still ringing, so whoever's calling must be really persistent. I flip open the phone and say in a weak voice, "Hello?"

"Who is this?" a high voice asks.

"Maddie." I say.

"Oh, hey Maddie. It's Max. Remember last night? From the party?" she asks. I know all too well.

"Yeah, hey." I say, putting on my fake friendly voice. "What's up?"

"Is Zack there?" Max asks.

"Um…he's kinda asleep right now…I could wake him up if you want…" I say, with a grin on my face.

"No! That's okay." She is quick to say. "Can you just tell him I'll be over at noon? I haven't seen him in a while and wanna catch up."

"Yeah. Sure." I say, trying to be friendly. After all, this girl didn't really do anything bad yet.

"Okay, thanks. Bye!" she says and then hangs up.

I sigh and flip the phone close. I snuggle up against Zack, putting my head on his chest while playing with his face with my fingers. "Do you realize how irresistible you are?" I say lightly.

Suddenly, I can feel Zack's breathing become lighter and faster from the quick rises of his chest. His eyes are shut closed and he's squirming a bit. "No!" he yells. "Don't…"

His eyes pop open and he looks confusedly around the room. When he realizes where he is, he starts to relax and pulls me tightly to him, which I don't mind at all. But I know what just happened. He had a dream about that dreadful day. I've been so worried about his physical state I forgot to think about his mental one. I wrap my arms around him tightly too, trying to make him feel protected.

I look at the clock and see that it's 11:30.

"Zack." I say.

"Hmmm?" he answers, clearly thinking about something.

"Max called earlier. She said that she's going to come by your suite at 12 for a visit. That okay with you?" I state.

"Oh okay." He says as I see his face brighten. He looks at the clock and says, "Let's go."

"I've gotta get dressed." I say as I get up and start pulling various articles of clothing out of my dresser. When I see Zack still laying there with his hands behind his head, I say, "That means you go out."

"Aw." He says with a pout. I giggle and push him out of the door.

Once I'm finished getting ready, I step outside and see Zack waiting for me. He was speeding through his quickly made obstacle course with his wheelchair, having a blast. Same old Zack.

"Ready to go my sweet thang?" he asks, with a smile on his face.

"Yup." I say as I sit on his lap.

Zack wheels us out and when we reach his suite, Max opens the door. I make a mental promise to be nice to this girl at all costs, since she seems to be really important to Zack. And I really don't need a repeat of the Christina incident.

Zack wheels us in past Zack and is about to say hi when we spot his mother's death glare. I quickly get off of Zack and try to look sweet and innocent. Apparently, it didn't work.

"Zackary Martin. How many times do I have to tell you to not sneak out of the house at night? More importantly, to a girls suite? All alone! I can only imagine what you would do!"

I sneak a peak at Max's face and she looks like she's been slapped in the face. She's hiding it pretty well though. But what did she expect? It's Zack.

"Ok, first mom. I would never do anything bad…for the most part. And second, I didn't sneak out of the _house_. This is a _suite_." He says the last part slowly and I have to hold back a chuckle.

Frustrated, Carrie throws down the dish rag she was using to scrub dishes and storms out of the room.

After that, we all hang out and watch a movie on the coach, eating some popcorn with movie theater butter. During the movie, Zack has his arm around me and I lean up against him. I can tell that Max notices, but she doesn't say anything.

When the movie finishes, Zack says, "Man, I'm thirsty."

He starts to get up, but instead of using his wheelchair, he just walks straight to the kitchen. It obviously takes a lot of effort for him, but he doesn't say anything. Just as I'm about to tell him to sit back down, he falls from weakness, but clings onto a nearby chair for support and sits back down in it, looking like he's in an immense amount of pain.

"Zack! What were you doing? Were you trying to make yourself hurt again?" I say irritably.

"Oh come on Maddie! Lighten up! The poor guy just wanted to walk." Max says.

Still trying to keep my earlier promise, I say, "Yeah, well he won't be able to if he hurts himself by pushing too hard."

"It's your fault he's even in that stupid chair!" she yells.

Screw that stupid promise! Before I'm about to completely lose it, Zack says, "Hey! Max, I think it's time for you to go."

She looks at him lovingly as she starts to leave. "Hope you feel better. Call if you need anything." She says and then exits the suite.

Event though I was just in a fight, I feel wonderfully happy. Not only did Zack defend me, but by telling her to leave, it seemed like he would rather have me instead of her. And that was all the reassurance I needed from him to know that I was all his and he was solely mine.

After that little event, we went into Zack and Cody's room where we laid down on his bed, much like how we were upstairs.

"I'm sorry about what Max said to you sweet thang. I don't think she meant to be so harsh. She's just freaking out right now about some other stuff. It has nothing to do with you. And I want you to know that what she said was absolutely not true."

"I know. And I'm sorry for over reacting about you Zackie. You're just so important to me and I can't bear to see you in any more pain. You deserve to be happy, and I just wanna make that happen for you. Zackary Thomas Martin, I am completely and solely in love with you, you crazy, adorable, sexy, guy!"

I quickly get on top of him and start kissing him passionately. He's taken by surprise at first, but then he starts kissing me back just as deeply.

In between kisses, he says, "And I – am totally – and only – in love with you – Madeline Genevieve Fitzpatrick – you wild – cute – gorgeous girl!"

I moan, which cause him to tighten his grip on me and start kissing my neck and shoulders. With my mouth free, I start to kiss from his cheek to his ear, blowing lightly on it, causing him to shiver. I then start to unbutton his shirt until I get to the middle one and he starts to kiss me again.

We're in such a state of bliss right now, that I don't think anyone could bring us down.

**Hey my lovely readers! Sorry its been so long! I have a legit excuse this time! I had a family emergency, but everything is okay now, so that's good. Anyway, I have a long weekend coming up so I might post again on Friday. And if I get lots of reviews, I might even do another chapter before the weekend ends. So review please! I love you all so much! **


	14. Brad Comes Back

Brad Comes Back 

_We're in such a state of bliss right now, that I don't think anyone could bring us down. _

It's been about two weeks since that afternoon, and Zack is finally off his wheelchair and is fully recovered. Everything is back to normal, including me working at the candy counter. I'm flipping through a magazine while munching on some kind of chocolate when I hear the usual clamor of high-schoolers. Immediately more awake, I look up and see Zack and Cody coming in with their heavy backpacks.

Cody goes straight to the elevator after giving me a smile and a wave. Zack half-runs the candy counter and is quick to drop his backpack and give me a kiss on the cheek. Mr. Moseby doesn't like PDA and Zack will get in trouble with Carrie if Mr. Moseby sees us kissing one more time. Speaking of Mr. Moseby, I wonder where he is. He's almost always standing at his desk, alert and conscious of everything happening in the hotel.

"So how was your day sweet thang?" asks Zack, while hopping on top of the counter to sit.

"Pretty boring. College is getting kinda hard, but I'm managing." I say.

"I bet my little Harvard girl." He says as he smiles at my lovingly.

"And how is school going for you? How was the history quiz?" I ask, hoping that he passed.

"Oh you know…I got a … D+, but it wasn't my fault! Mr. Ewisel hates me!" he says, quick to defend himself.

"Zack! A D?!" I exclaim shocked.

"D+!" Zack states, trying to make his grade appear better than it is.

"That's it." I say. "Tonight I'm coming and we're gonna study your brains out."

Zack replies, "Sure, but-"

"Zack," Mr. Moseby interrupts, "could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure. Shoot." Zack says, flinching at his words.

Mr. Moseby says, "In private?"

Zack looks at me and then faces Mr. Moseby once more. "It's fine. I'd tell her afterwards anyway."

Feeling smug, I ask, "What is it Mr. Moseby?"

"I just got off the phone. It's about Brad," he begins. So that's where he was! I see Zack's face turn to stone. "He's found and is the custody of the jail as we speak. However, there is a trial taking place in one week to determine his final sentence. The court would appreciate you coming, as you could describe what happened correctly. Are you willing to participate?"

When Zack doesn't reply, I ask, "Can't they just do it without him?"

"It's possible, but it would help immensely if you were there Zack. It's your choice though. The judge also asked me to find out if you would come to Maddie." Mr. Moseby says.

"I'll go." Zack says, hard as stone. "But there's no way Maddie's going near that creep ever again. Forget it."

"But I have to go!" I say. "Zack you need support, and I'm the only one who knows about what happened leading up to the incident!"

"Okay. I'll tell them that you're both coming then. Have a good day." Mr. Moseby says as he goes back into his office.

"Zack, are you okay?" I ask nervously.

"So do you want to come up now to study or later?" Zack asks, avoiding my question.

"Now is fine. Let's go." I say as Zack hops off the counter. He takes his hand in mine as we go to the elevator.

When we finally reach his and Cody's room, he pulls out his history book. We still haven't said anything since we left the candy counter.

I realize that it's too quiet in the suite. "Where are Cody and your mom?"

"Moms at rehearsal. Cody hanging with Arwin today since he finished his homework for this week." Zack replies in a monotone.

"Alright, what are you studying in history?" I ask.

"Ancient Greek society." He replies.

"Ok, I remember that …I think." I say as I grab his book. "Who is Athena?"

"Um…" he starts. This is going to take a while I think and laugh to myself. As I wait for his answer, I can't help but notice how cute he looks when thinking. He starts tapping his fingers on the desk and pretty soon he's drumming his favorite song.

"Zack, focus!" I say, trying to sound firm.

"Athena was that dude who went to that place to get the thing from … that guy." He says, making it sound more like a question.

"Okay first of all, Athena wasn't a dude. She was Zeus's daughter, making her a goddess. She appears in the Odyssey to help Odysseus." I recite from memory.

"That's what I meant." Zack says, giving me a smirk.

"Next question. What is a polis?" I question.

"A city-state." He replies.

"Good!" I say encouragingly. "And what kind of society was Greece?"

Almost immediately Zack says, "A patriarchal society."

After about 30 minutes of this, it's pretty clear that Zack knows all about ancient Greece to begin with. Well…except for the gods and the goddesses. I notice that his quiz is lying on the next page. I secretly start quizzing him from it to see if he just blanked when he took it. After acing 90% of the questions from the quiz, I ask, "Zack, what happened that morning you took this? You're getting all the answers right that you have wrong on this."

"I was so tired. I have history first period and I didn't have a lot of sleep the night before." He says unhappily. Then I realize why he was so tired. The nightmares of Brad and the shot. "But I'm sick of studying. I'd much rather do something else."

"And what's that?" I ask scared when I see that mischievous smirk on his face.

"This." he says as he grabs me by the waist and throws me gently onto his bed. He hops on top of me, keeping his weight on his elbow. Instantly excited, I put my hands around he neck as bring his lips to mine. History is completely forgotten. His right hand starts rubbing up and down my side, causing me to giggle a little bit. I take off his jacket and when it falls on the floor, his cell phone starts ringing.

Perfect, I say sarcastically in my head.

Zack ignores it though and starts kissing down my arm. The person keeps calling again and again so the ringing doesn't really stop.

"Zack." I sigh. "Answer the phone."

"No…" Zack whines as he starts attacking my neck. After a few more minutes I can't take it any longer. I grab the phone from his jean pocket and see that the caller ID says Max. I sigh and shove the opened phone into his hands.

**Sorry I could only write two chapters this week. I tried for three, but I was so busy. I still haven't done my English homework…but this was way more important. Please review! Love you tons! **


	15. Finally Some Answers

**Finally Some Answers**

"_No…" Zack whines as he starts attacking my neck. After a few more minutes I can't take it any longer. I grab the phone from his jean pocket and see that the caller ID says Max. I sigh and shove the opened phone into his hands. _

"Hello?" Zack says, obviously annoyed. "Oh, okay. Here, let me put you on speaker."

Why in the world would he want to do that?! I think to myself.

"So how's my Maxy pie?" asks Zack.

"Just fine my Zackie." She replies.

Since when do they have cute little nicknames for each other?! How dare she call him Zackie! Only I can call him that! It's an understood rule.

Zack sees the confusion on my face and says, "I call her Maxy pie, because last thanksgiving she ate two whole pies! I still can't believe you did that!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey Zack, I actually need to talk to you privately. That okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, no problem." He responds.

"Thanks." she says as Zack presses the speaker off button.

As they start to talk, I just sit there listening to Zack speak to Max. I can tell that she's asking about Brad, because Zack's face looks as hard as a rock.

"Hey Max, I gotta go. Maddie's here and we're studying." After a short pause, Zack says, "No really! We are studying! Yeah, talk to you later. And thanks."

After he hangs up, Zack gives me a smirk before moving me beneath him on the bed. "Where were we?" he asks in an extremely sexy voice.

Before I can allow myself to get wrapped up in another round of kisses, I ask, "Why did you thank her?"

"Oh." He replies. "She's going to come to the trial next week to support me."

"Oh, isn't that nice. What a good friend she is." I say with a tight smile.

"Yeah. She is." Zack agrees before doing incredible things to my neck. While he does this, I wonder why Max seems so interested in Zack all of a sudden. They didn't seem to hang out much before this whole Brad thing happened. I have to know why. And I have a plan on how to do so.

"Zack. Zack. Stop." I say, as he keeps devouring my neck. "I need a favor. Stop."

"No." Zack says smirking, as he starts rubbing my sides.

"Okay." I say happily, as my weak resolve caves in. I can wait until after to execute my plan. I move so that I'm on top of him and run my hands up and down his perfect chest. Zack grips my hair tightly and starts to quicken the speed of the kiss, sending my mind into a whirlpool. Just as things are about to get interesting, Cody comes in.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't know you guys were in here." Cody explains sheepishly.

"Ugh." I grunt. It seems like we always get interrupted. Well, at least now I can put my plan into motion. "It's fine Cody. Hey Zack, I have a sudden craving. Could you get me some chocolate cake from the kitchen?"

"Sure, my sweet thang." Zack grins before kissing me and running quickly out of the suite.

As soon as Cody grabs his math text book and leaves the room, I take Zack's phone off the floor from where it fell while we were on the bed. I quickly scroll through the contacts, until I locate Max's number. As I call her, I start to feel badly for using Zack's phone without permission. It's for a good cause though, I tell myself.

"Hey Zackie! Miss me already?" Max says on the other end of the line.

"Hey Max. It's actually me, Maddie." I say.

"Oh! Um hi Maddie. What's up?" she asks curiously.

"I was wondering if we could meet at the coffee shop down the street from the Tipton? I just really want to get to know you better since you are so a good friend of Zack's." I say untruthfully.

"Uh…sure. That's fine. When do you want to meet?" she asks.

"Does ten minutes sound okay to you?" I asking, hoping she'll say yes.

"Yeah, sounds good. See you then!" she says and hangs up the phone. I put Zack's cell on the floor again right as he busts through the door.

"Here is your cake mademoiselle." He says romantically as he gives me the plate.

"Thank you sweetie." I exclaim.

After we talk some more and I wolf down the cake, I say, "Oh my gosh! I just remembered! I have an appointment I have to go to. I'll talk to you later, okay Zackie?"

"Wait!" he shouts as I'm almost out the door. "Are you free tonight? You know, just wondering…" he says suspiciously.

"Yeah. I really gotta go. Bye!" I say as I kiss him on the cheek and run out the door.

When I pull into the parking lot and see the all too familiar coffee shop, my heart lurches. So many bad memories lurk here. I can practically see Brad's evil face and Zack's pain. The gunshot still pierces through my ears. Pulling together all of my courage, I step out of the car and enter the coffee shop. I immediately spot Max sitting at a two person table in a corner, sipping on some caffeinated beverage.

Once I sit down opposite of her, I say, "Thanks for coming."

"Yeah, sure. No problem." Max replies after sipping her drink. "So what's up?"

"Uh, not much. How are you?" I ask timidly.

"Let's cut the small talk Maddie. Why did you really call me over here?" she questions.

Taken back by her harsh tone, I say, "What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty sure you didn't call me over here for a little chat. Right?" she asks once again.

"Yeah, you're right." I admit regretfully. I wish I hadn't of even called her in the first place now. But, I'm just dying to know the question that's been eating me alive since I met Max. I explain slowly, "Okay um…this is gonna sound really weird and paranoid of me… but do you…maybe…have feelings for Zack? If I'm completely wrong just tell me. I won't bother you again."

After staring at her drink for what seemed like hours, Max finally responds, "Maddie…I'm not going to lie to you. Every since I first met Zack, I feel like I've had a connection with him. I know that sounds completely corny, but it's true. And sure, we've said we would be better as friends and moved on, but ever since…the accident…I've felt even stronger towards him. I realized that I was wasting my time by not being honest about my feelings for him and that just killed me. If I could do anything over, it would be to admit to him how I have always felt about him. And I would have told him, but then Cody told me he was in a relationship. I saw how happy he was with you and I couldn't ruin that for him. I'm sorry if I've acted meanly to you lately. I've just been dealing with some other problems too."

I sit in shock for a few moments after everything she has told me. I didn't expect her to completely pour her heart open to me. We're practically strangers. But somehow I feel at peace now that she's told me how she feels.

"Thanks for telling me all of that Max." I say. "I understand now. No need to apologize. I'm just glad that Zack can help you through whatever it is you're going through. He can be an amazing friend when he wants to be."

After slightly cringing from the "friend" word, Max says, "Yeah, I know."

Just then, my cell phone beeps, signaling that I have a text message. It says:

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!

MADDIE, GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT

GUESS WHAT?!?! YOU HAVE A

SURPRISE WAITING FOR YOU AT

HOME!!!! YOU HAVE TO COME

HOME RIGHT NOW. PRONTO! THIS CAN'T

WAIT!!!! IF YOU'RE NOT HOME IN

15 MINUTES IM TRACKING YOU DOWN!

SERIOUSLY. NO SHINY OBJECTS WILL

DISTRACT ME THIS TIME!!!!

XOXO London Tipton (best and most

beautiful heiress of all time)

"Hey…um…Max…do you mind if I go? I'm not trying to be rude here, honestly. I've just got a hyperactive heiress on my tail." I explain guiltily.

"Yeah, no problem. I have to go somewhere too." She says. "I'll see you later."

"Thanks for the talk." I say as I give her an awkward hug.

"Sure. And Maddie?" she asks.

"Yes?" I reply.

"Take good care of him. He's been through I lot and I just want him to be happy." She says.

"I always will." I say with full honesty.

After racing home to the Tipton and riding the elevator up to my shared room, I enter the suite.

"Where have you been?! It's been 26 minutes!" she yells.

"Wow London. That's a big number for you. Congrats!" I say, not sarcastically at all.

"I know. I'm so smartical! Yay me!" she shouts jumping up and down proudly.

"So what's the big emergency?" I ask impatiently.

"I'll show you!" she says. She runs into the little kitchen we have and grabs a vase of roses. As she runs back to me, she gets distracted by her reflection in the window. I wish I had never even told her about that.

"London!" I yell. "Come on!"

"Oh right!" she exclaims. "Here." She says as she hands me the flowers.

"These are so beautiful!" I gush, smelling the wonderful aroma they give off.

"There's a card too!" London says.

As I read the card, my nerves start acting up.

**Hey guys! I'm so so so so sorry it's been so so so so long since I've updated! You have every right to hate me. I will try my best to update tomorrow or the next day too! Thank you so much for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! Even if it's just to tell me to tell me to hurry up with the next chapter! Love you guys! **


	16. Dream Night

Dream Night

_As I read the card, my nerves start acting up. _

It reads:

Dear my wonderful beautiful Maddie,

Tonight is our four month anniversary.

And although most people wait until at least

six months to celebrate, I can't wait any longer.

I need to show you how much I love you.

Dress warmly and be ready to be picked up at 5.

See you then, sweet thang.

Love your awesome, talented, good-looking, funny boyfriend,

Zack

Today's worries immediately leave my mind, and my hearts begins to fill with scenarios of what Zack could have planned for us. I feel exactly the same way I felt before our first date, but this time only joyous thoughts fill my head.

I plop down on the couch and sigh like in all the sappy movies. But soon after, my daydreams are interrupted by a sudden coldness washing over my body.

"London!" I yell, angry she snapped me out of my best daydream yet. "What are you doing with the window open?!"

"I found out that if I open the window, I can see my reflection on the windows on the building next door." London explains using her "And you think I'm stupid" voice.

After closing the window, I say "It's snowing out there!"

"Really?" she asks, completely innocently.

"Yes. That white stuff that's piled up 4 ½ feet outside, is snow." I tell slowly.

"Oh." London replies. "Well, I'll just go to my closet then. I have been wearing this outfit for four hours and it's getting out of style. Oh! That reminds me! Did you get your card? Isn't he amazing?! Okay so we have to pick the perfect outfit…" London rattles on while making her way to the closet.

I follow her quickly, not wanting to get lost in the maze of escalators and departments in the closet. After many hours and much debate, we agree upon a pair of designer jeans(her choice) with brown boots and a brown long sleeved shirt(my choice). As London finishes fixing my hair into cute clip, we hear the doorbell ring. Realizing the time, butterflies fly in my stomach as I suspect who's waiting at the door. With London leading the way, we quickly rush back to the main room of the gigantic suite. I open the door and my heart automatically quickens as I see Zack's smiling face.

"Zack!" I shriek as I run into his arms. He tightens his arms around my waist tightly. "I missed you so much."

"Me too." Zack whispers in my ear, sending shivers up and down my spine.

"Guys." London says, ruing the perfect moment. "It's been like five hours since you've last seen each other."

Zack laughs and grabs my hand, leading us down the hallway and into the elevator. During our descent, I ask, "So what's the plan for tonight? Knowing you, it could be anything."

"It's a surprise." Zack says as we reach his and Cody's car. "Which reminds me, you need to wear this until we get there." He hands me a black blindfold. He opens the door for me and when I get in, he goes to his side and buckles his and mine seat belt. "Well?"

"Well what?" I ask, distracting by his eyes.

"Put it on please." Zack says with a grin.

I pout and say, "But then I can't look at you."

"It'll be quick. I promise. Please." Zack says, throwing my pout right back at me. We must have looked crazy to any passerby, pouting at each other. Of course though, Zack eventually wins the pouting contest as I slip the blindfold over my head.

He takes my hand in his and starts driving the car. After about a 20 minute drive, Zack stops the car and gets out. Not knowing whether I'm allowed to take off the blind fold, I just sit. A couple of seconds later, Zack opens my door and pulls me to my feet. He puts his arm around me, and we start to walk. I can tell we are outside from the wind and coldness. A little while later, Zack stops walking and gently pulls off the blindfold.

Once I adjust my vision, I see a horse, but what catches my eye is what is attached it. A sleigh with a little driver at the front is in front of me. Zack sneaks a peak at my expression and smiles, pleased with himself. I am beyond amazed at how unpredictable and perfect my boyfriend was.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

"Absolutely!" I exclaim as I grab his hand and sprint towards the sleigh.

I can hardly contain my excitement as I sit on the little sleigh and Zack says, "First stop please."

I bounce with joy as I feel the sleigh start to move. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before! As we continue on our way, Zack puts an arm around my shoulders and I cuddle closer to him, putting my arm around his waist. I wish I had a camera at this exact moment. Everything is absolutely perfect right now.

"So how do you like the ride so far?" Zack asks as he kisses the top of my head.

"This is incredible Zack. You are just amazing. I don't know how I got so lucky to have you in my life." I say with my whole heart.

"I'm the lucky one." Zack argues.

Before I can disagree, we stop upon a little hill in the middle of the large ground we're riding on. I look around me, but don't see anything of interest for stopping.

"Why did we stop?" I ask innocently.

"Just watch." Zack says knowingly.

I then spot a strange missile ascending the sky. Before I could hear the big bang, I know what is happening. Zack planned for another fireworks show for me! I smile hugely and look at Zack, who is smiling just as big. After 10 minutes, I think the show is over. Then I see another missile climbing the sky. It bursts into a big I. Once it disappears, another firework pops and takes the form of a heart. After that one fades, another firework mounts the sky and shows a U.

I can't help myself any longer. I grab Zack's neck and bring his face to mine. We kiss passionately for a little while before I lie down, dragging him with me. I hear the incredibly loud pops of the fireworks during the grand finale. But that's not my main focus right now. My attention is solely on the man on top of me. I move my hands from his neck and hair to his waist and chest, feeling his body all over. Although the fireworks have stopped, I'm still having a light show in my head. Unfortunately though, the sleigh driver clears his throat and I blush ferociously. I have never been one to show PDA, but I can't help myself around Zack.

Once we get straightened up, Zack says "Next stop please." in that husky voice that I love. After about 5 minutes, we come upon a little church selling Christmas trees.

"What are we doing here?" I ask, just as snow starts to fall.

"Picking out a tree." Zack says as he and I jump out of the sleigh. "I want to make London's suite feel like home to you. And I know how much you love Christmas."

_Aw!_ I smile sweetly as he takes my hand and we walk to the trees. After a few minutes of looking, I start to shiver from the cold. I knew I forgot something! My jacket is in the suite! Ugh!

Zack notices and starts shrugging out of his jacket.

"No, Zack. Its okay-" I start to protest.

"Take it." he says simply. "I like the cold. My mom made me wear this."

"You're wearing a tee-shirt! Keep it!" I exclaim.

"I'll be fine." He says, starting to put his jacket on me.

"I don't want you getting sick because of me." I say, but immediately stop protesting when I feel the desirable warmth over me.

"How about this one?" Zack asks, pointing to a nice 7 foot noble fur tree.

"It's perfect!" I exclaim. "How much is it?" I ask as I start looking for a price tag. Growing up with a poor family has taught me to not become too attached to something before knowing if I can afford it.

"Ah, ah, ah." Zack scolds playfully. "You let me worry about that."

When an employee walks by and Zack says, "Can I take this tree please?"

"Sure thing." He says. Once he rings it up and Zack pays for it, he puts it in the back of the sleigh for us. "You folks have a good night."

"Thanks. You too." Zack says, tipping him $5. "Home please." Zack says to the patient sleigh driver. It began snowing heavily by the time we got to the car, so once Zack assured me he could take the tree, I sprinted for the car. When Zack finished tying the tree to the roof of the car, he got into the car and we made our way back to the Tipton Hotel.

After we got to the safety of the parking garage, I helped Zack untie the tree from the car.

"How are we going to get this up to London's suite?" I ask.

"I'm going to carry it." Zack explains simply.

"Are you crazy?! You can't carry it all the way up there!" I reply.

"I didn't get on the football team for nothing." Zack says jokingly. He grabs the tree from the roof of the car as I watch, enjoying how his muscles flex and tighten when he supports the heavy weight. "Let's go."

I open all the doors we come across until we reach London's suite. I look in amazement at Zack as he opens the suite door. He didn't need to pause once when he was going up all those stairs. I was more winded then he was by the time we got to the top, but not from tiredness. When we step inside the suite, Zack places the tree in a stand. _Was that there before? _

"Zack that was so much fun! It was most definitely the best night of my life!" I say truthfully.

"It's not over yet." Zack says smirking as he starts for the room I'm staying in. When we enter the room, my mind is blown away. There are candles lit all around the room and rose petals all over the bed. Could this night get any better?!

"I want to give you something." Zack says as he fishes for something out of his pocket. He takes my left wrist gently and puts a charm on the bracelet he bought me. I look closer and see that it is a charm of a little, red sleigh.

"It's beautiful Zack. Thank you so much. I love you." I say, with a large smile.

"As do I." He says.

"How did you do all of this?" I ask in amazement of the room surrounding us.

"I got Cody to do this, since I didn't trust London with fire. He also took London to our suite so that we could finally have some alone time. So what do you want to do?" he asks.

_Strip all your clothes off. _I think. _Stop it Madeline! Control yourself! _

"I think you know." I say as I lightly push Zack on the bed. I get on top of him and start kissing him with more passion then I ever have before. Zack immediately reciprocates and moves his hands down to my waist. He takes his jacket off of me and starts working his magic on my neck. Swimming in complete bliss, I start breathing heavily. Zack flips us then, so that he's on top and begins to kiss my mouth once more. The heat between us is indescribable. I run my hands up and down his chest, but feel like the piece of clothing on him is too thick. I start unbuttoning his shirt, until I finally undo to the bottom one after what seems like years. I roughly pull the shirt off of him and throw it to the floor. This is the first time I've seen his full chest, since he was 13 and swimming in the pool on the roof. It is definitely worth the wait though! He's obviously becoming more of a jock because his chest is like a washboard. He's not too muscular though. He's more perfect than I ever thought. I smile to myself like a kid on Christmas day and flip so that I'm on top of him again. I start kissing every piece of his exposed skin in quick little kisses.

Zack's breathing starts to get faster and I look up to see him mirroring the expression I bet I have on my face. I love the influence I have on him. I make my kisses longer as I start going further down his chest. "Ugh, Maddie." Zack says, in a husky voice. "Come here."

He flips us once more and starts attacking my mouth while rubbing his hands up and down my sides. I kick off my boots and his shoes too as he lifts my shirt to expose my stomach. He begins mimicking my actions and my eyes roll back in my head. I run my fingers all around his hair and then pull him up to my mouth for a passionate kiss.

"I love you so much sweet thang." Zack says panting.

"Not as much as I love you." I say as we get under the covers and I cuddle up against him.

As much as I love him, which is more than the entire world, I know we're not quite ready for the next step in our relationship. I want to wait a little while longer, and I can tell he thinks the same thing. I love the bond and understanding between us. Zack has made me feel better than any guy has. But that's not the only reason why I love him. He is the perfect gentlemen and would never push me to do something I didn't want to.

And all those reasons are why I feel completely comfortable around him as we lay on the bed.

**Hey my fellow readers! I am so sorry that it's been a while since I've updated. I wanted to make sure this chapter was perfect. I hope it was worth the wait. I promise to tell you if I were to take a break or stop writing this story, which won't ever happen! This is probably the most graphic I'll ever get by the way. I still want it to be rated T! I tried to make it longer for you this time too though. Please review!!!! And happy first day of Hanukah!**


	17. Moving Foreword

**Moving Foreword **

_And all those reasons are why I feel completely comfortable around him as we lay on the bed. _

I awake to the brilliant sun illuminating the crystal-like snow below. Sighing contently, I turn over to face the love of my wonderful life. Zack's steady breathing and relaxed face makes him look completely innocent and free of troubles. I run my index finger over the features of his face lightly, admiring how amazing he can look at any time of the day. My finger is soon replaced by my lips, as I decide to get a little bolder. I hear the door click and the clank of high heels as I look up and spot my heiress friend looking like she just stepped off a runway.

"Hey London." I say in a quiet voice even though a bomb wouldn't wake up Zack. "Thanks for letting us use your suite last night."

"Yeah, no problem. Looks like somebody had a little fun in here last night…" she says with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" I question curiously.

"Oh, like you don't know." When I give her a blank stare, she continues. "The bed looks kinda messy…"

"Zack tosses a lot in his sleep." I reply with a smile as I run my finger up and down Zack's arm. As I think about London's comment in more depth, realization hits me. "London! We did not do what you think we did!"

"Sure, sure." London sings as she leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

I get out of bed groggily and start getting dressed into new clothes. Once I'm done, I start to pick up the fallen clothes from last night. I put Zack's shirt and jacket on the dresser, pausing momentarily to appreciate how they smell like him. I can't describe Zack's scent; all I know is that it drives me crazy. In a good way.

As I began remembering last night, Zack's phone begins to ring. I quickly answer it in case for some bizarre reason, it wakes up Zack.

"Hello?" I ask in an almost whisper.

"Hi, can I please speak to Zackary Martin please?" says a deep voice on the other line.

"I'm sorry. He's not available to talk right now. Can I take a message?" I ask, remembering the phone etiquette I learned from my mother.

"Could you please tell him that his…meeting with Greg has been moved to 11 today?" says the gruff voice.

"Sure. Good-bye." I say and hang up the phone. I decide it's time to wake up Zack, since its 10:15 right now. "Zack! Your stack of chocolate chip pancakes are ready!"

"What the-" Zack starts, but ends up falling off the bed, taking the sheet with him.

I laugh quietly and lay down on top of him. "Pancakes?" Zack asks in sweet and vulnerable voice. I sadly shake my head at him. "That was cruel." He says, while playfully glaring at me.

"Sorry love." I say and then kiss his cheek, earning a grin from Zack. "Greg called. He said your meeting was moved to 11 today."

"Oh, okay." Zack replies, his smile faltering a smidge.

"Who is Greg, by the way?" I ask, while playing with a loose strand on the sheet twisted around Zack's body.

"My attorney for the…case. I'm supposed to meet him to prepare beforehand." Zack says, avoiding eye contact with me. He does that when he's down. I would know, picked it up from him. "I should probably get ready."

"Wait." I say, placing my hands on his chest when he starts to move. I lean down slowly and begin kissing his neck and face in between words. "Stay. Safe. And. Call. Me. When. You. Get. Home. And-"

Zack brings my face to his and begins to kiss me with great passion. I eagerly reciprocate, but soon after London comes in.

"Jeez! Don't you guys ever take a break?!" she says and then walks out.

"And that's why I made sure we were alone last night." Zack says, smirking.

Once we get up and Zack gets dressed, we exit my room and see London and Cody putting lights on the tree we bought yesterday.

When they spot us, London says, "See Cody! I told you! Zack has sex hair! Pay up."

"That doesn't prove anything." Cody counters. "He always looks like that when he wakes up."

"I also heard some noises last night coming from the bed-"

I quickly plug in a strand of white lights that blink before she has the opportunity to finish.

"Oooo! Sparkly…so pretty..." London says, completely mesmerized and enchanted by the lights.

"Gotta go." Zack says, quickly pecking me on the lips and making a bee line for the door before London could remember what she was going to say.

"So…" I say while turning off the light strand that's distracting London. "What do you think I should get Zack for Christmas? He's given me so many things over these past few months and I want to get him something _really_ special."

"What's your price limit?" asks Cody, always being the smart one.

"Um…I don't know…I've saved up a lot of money…." I say, calculating how much cash I have in the bank.

"He's not going to want you to spend your life savings Maddie." Cody replies.

Suddenly an idea hits me. It was so obvious that I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Zack hasn't been able to play his guitar since…the incident. He and Cody were pretending to be rock stars to sneak into a concert, complete with a costume and instruments. Of course it worked, but one of the guitarists picked up Zack's guitar and smashed it on stage for the grad finale. Afterwards he signed what little piece remained as an apology. Zack was cool with it, but I miss hearing music coming from him.

"Never mind!" I say to a confused looking Cody and London. "I already know what I'm going to get him. Thanks!"

"Well?" London asks arrogantly.

"I'm not going to tell you. You guys are blabbermouths…no offense." I respond with a smirk.

Just then, my cell phone starts to ring in my pocket. I grin automatically when I see Zack's name on the caller id. "Hey sweetie." I say once I pick up. "What's up?"

"They decided to move the trial up…Brad's attorney says they have all the need to win and so do we so…it's moved up to the 27th." Zack says. I then hear some crunching noises which obviously means Zack is upset, since he's eating.

Immediately worried about his state of mind, I ask, "Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, sure. Fine. I just want to get this over with…so the sooner the better. Right?" he asks.

"Right." I respond, wanting to encourage him.

"Well I gotta go sweet thang." He says. I smirk, loving his nickname for me. "Greg and I are almost done. Love you."

"Okay. See you soon. Love you too." I say and snap the phone closed.

After a quick good-bye to London and Cody, I hop in the car and speed to the local music store. When I enter, my eyes are bombarded by a view of what seems like hundreds of guitars and other musical instruments.

"Can I help you?" asks a punk like girl with red hair.

Pausing momentarily, I reply, "I'm looking for a guitar."

"Acoustic or electric?" asks the girl, whose nametag reads Susan.

"Electric." I reply. "Makes more noise."

"You don't really seem like the rock-and-roll type." Susan says, while smirking and chewing loudly on her gum. "No offense."

"None taken." I reply with a nervous laugh. "It's for my boyfriend actually."

"By any chance is he a twin, blond, blue eyes, about yea high," she says making a hand motion. "and incredibly good-looking?"

"That's him." I say, a bit defensively.

"Well, I've seen him checking out this baby over here." Susan says leading me over to a black electric guitar, with painted flames on the back of the neck.

It's perfect for Zack. I can just picture Zack coming in here, admiring the guitar's beauty. I have to get it for him. "How much is it?" I ask.

"'Bout 500 bucks." Susan replies like it's no big deal.

"Holy-"

"But I can discount it 20% if you'd like." She cuts me off.

"Wow. Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks so much!" I say gratefully.

"Yeah, no prob. Zack's a great guy." She replies while putting the guitar in the case. I hand her the money and quickly exit the store. Once I get back to the suite, I hide the guitar in my closet. It's no mall like London's, but it sure is big! I can easily hide it in here.

Now I just gotta get through this trial and it should be smooth sailing from there.

**Hey guys! Once again, sorry its been so long since I've updated. I've had a lot on my plate. I will update the night of the 27****th**** by the latest. As always, please review. I appreciate it so much! Reviews will put me in the holiday spirit and when I am I tend to write…just saying. **


	18. The Trial

The Trial

_Now I just gotta get through this trial and it should be smooth sailing from there. _

As I stare at my reflection in the vanity mirror, I apply some eyeliner and mascara to my face. Today is the big day. The trial. My nerves are wrecking havoc on my body, so I can only imagine how Zack is feeling right now. But some small part of me is excited. I can't wait to put this experience in the past and finally be rid of Brad and his ways. I look down and see the new charm of a Christmas tree that Zack gave me for the holidays. He also gave me some perfume and tons of chocolate. He knows me so well. I can't help but smile when I remember Zack's reaction to his gift from me.

"_Close your eyes." I command to Zack as I go to the closet where I hid his gift. "Hold out your hands." When he does so, I place the guitar gently into his hands._

_Immediately recognizing the object, Zack's eyes pop open hugely. He looks down at the guitar with a huge grin on his face. _

"_It's…wow. How did you…? This is so frickin' cool! Thank you! Thank you so much sweet thang!" Zack says with sparkling eyes. "I love it." _

"_I love you." I say, sitting down on the couch. Zack plugs the cord into the amplifier and sits down next to me, putting the strap around him. _

"_Well, this sure beats my gift." Zack says somewhat guiltily. _

"_No way. You've given me so many things, even before we started dating. And you've already given me the thing I want most." I say truthfully._

"_What's that?" Zack says distractingly while tuning the guitar. _

"_You." I reply with a smile as he leans down to kiss me. _

With my make-up finished, I head down to the lobby. London is driving with me to the court house in her limo. Carrie insisted on driving her sons herself. I can't blame her though. This must be a very stressful time for her as well.

"Hey. Ready?" London asks me when we meet up in the lobby.

"Not even remotely." I say. I haven't seen Brad since…

"I have some bad news." London says sheepishly.

Fearing the worst, I say "What's wrong with Zack?"

"Nothing." London is quick to say. "Um…I sorta told Chelsea about this whole drama and um…well she kinda thought it was like a cool TV show. She called reporters and they want the inside scoop after the trial."

"That doesn't make any sense." I say confused. "Zack's not famous."

"But I am. So if I have a friend that was…I know that it was completely insensitive of Chelsea. I am so sorry Maddie. I can not go if you like; they'd probably just stay with me." London says full of sorrow.

"It's not my decision. What did Zack say?" I ask, worried about his emotional state at the moment.

"He said I could come. He said he didn't care." London says with hopefulness in her eyes. Even though I know Zack was lying, I can't bear to hurt London. She's really close to Zack; they have been through so many obstacles together. I know she wants to support him now, and be there for him.

After we dodge the various reporters and get settled in the limo, I text Cody. I know that Zack is probably feeling overwhelmed right now, what with all of the reporters plus his mother, which is why I don't call him myself.

**How is he? – M**

_**Says**_** he's good. Fidgety. – C**

Cody and I both know that means he's nervous. I sigh and text back,

**Tell him I love him & that I'm here 4 him please.**

**Will do :) – C **

Closing my eyes, I decide to nap until we get to the court house.

Next thing I know, I'm sitting in the chairs behind the prosecution desk, waiting for Zack to arrive. The doors open to reveal Zack and his attorney being flooded by reporters. Zack completely ignores them and starts walking confidently to the desk. When he passes me, he gives me a smile and a quick wink. It's amazing how Zack can appear so calm and relaxed. Unfortunately, the next person to arrive is Brad. He's led out by a police officer in handcuffs. When he catches Zack's eye, he gives him a smirk, which sends a fit of rage to the pit of my stomach. Once Brad reaches the desk, the handcuffs are removed and the police officer stands in the corner of the room.

"All rise." Someone says when the judge appears. Once everything gets settled Zack's attorney says, "The prosecution calls Zackary Martin to the stand."

After Zack gets sworn in he takes his place on the witness stand, not anxious at all. "Tell us what happened." Zack's attorney, Mike, says.

Zack takes a deep breath and says, "Maddie told me she was meeting Brad. I didn't trust him, so I followed her. When I entered the coffee shop I saw Brad forcing her to kiss him-"

"And Maddie and you have had a relationship for the past couple of months, correct Mr. Martin."

"Yes." Zack replies in a monotone. "So naturally I was upset. I got him off of her and the next thing I know…I'm covered in blood with a bullet in my side." Zack says, looking right at Brad for the last part.

"No further questions." Mike says, sitting down.

Brad's lawyer makes his way to Zack. "So Zack, you say you got Brad off of Maddie. How exactly did you do that?"

"I grabbed his shirt and pulled him off of her." Zack responds emotionless.

"Which then caused him to slam against a wall, correct?" The lawyer says obnoxiously.

"Yes." Zack says carefully.

"Well, this obviously surprised Brad. It's only a natural reaction to protect oneself, which is what he did when he punched you after that. But my question to you is why did you continue the fight? Have you ever thought that Maddie was lying to you? That Brad didn't force her like she said he did? After all, it is one person's word over another's. No, I think the real reason you chose to fight Brad was jealously. Jealously that Maddie was going back to Brad. And revenge that Brad had gone out with Maddie before you came along. Isn't that right Zack?"

"No." Zack replies loudly.

"But you did start the fight." Brad's attorney continues. "So are you telling me that you didn't feel any sort of rage towards him at all?"

"Of course I felt _rage_ towards him but-" Zack begins.

"No further questions your honor." The attorney says and sits back down. Zack hops down for the witness stand, his hands clenched into fists in his pockets.

"The prosecution next calls Maddie to the stand." Mike says. My legs feel like jello as I approach the stand and am sworn in. My heart is racing a mile a minute when Mike says, "Tell the jury what happened please."

Finally I have the chance to say my side of the story. I begin by saying, "I went to meet Brad at Starbucks-"

"And why was that?" Mike asks.

"He wanted to make up for the day before. He had grabbed me and called me degrading names." I say angrily.

"Okay. Continue please."

"So I met Brad and after talking for a short time, I wanted leave. I mentioned Zack as my boyfriend and the next thing I know Brad is trying to prove himself worthier than him by kissing me apparently." I say with acid in my tone. "Zack was protecting me, not starting a fight."

"No further questions your honor." Mike says and sits down next to Zack again.

Now the part I have been dreading. The defense attorney. "Maddie, I'm guessing you think that Brad's use of the gun was not appropriate, right?"

"Of course." I say strongly.

"Let me try to explain why he did what you did. Brad has been diagnosed with temporary insanity due to a mental disorder-"

"Objection your honor!" Mike says standing up. "The defense has no medical documents."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The defense attorney says with a fake apologetic voice. "Here you go." He says and gives the papers to the judge. "Now as I was saying, Brad's surprise at Zack caused him to not think clearly and his reactive mind made him do whatever he needed to do to defend himself. The papers clearly state there that Brad had temporary insanity, signed off by a renowned doctor. I'm all done here your honor." He says and sits back down.

I make my way back to my chair, my whole body feeling numb. I had no idea what so ever of Brad's condition. If I did, all of this could have probably been avoided.

"The defense calls Brad to the stand."

Once Brad is sworn in and takes his seat, the defense attorney says, "Why don't you tell us what happened from your point of view?"

"Well, I was meeting Maddie based on the pretense that she wanted me back. Whether that was the case or not, that Zack kid apparently followed her, which I think shows lack of trust, so they obviously had problems in their "relationship"" Brad says, making air quotes like the jerk he is. After leading me on, I kissed Maddie. Next thing I know I'm shoved against the wall. The slut was only pretending that I was forcing her to kiss me!"

"All right. That's it!" Zack yells, before Mike has the opportunity to call an objection.

"What? Scared that little bitch will be found out?" Brad says with a smirk, obviously wanting to get a reaction out of Zack.

He got one.

Zack shoved the desk and started running to Brad. Right before he got to him, the police officer shoved him back and tried to restrain him, but failed miserably. Zack's tougher than he looks and he had a lot of adrenaline stored up.

"Order in the court!" The judge yells, slamming his gavel up and down again.

Knowing that it's time for me to intervene I make my way quickly to Zack. I seem to be able to calm him down most of the time. Zack is trying to shove the police officer out of the way at the moment, so I just put my arms around his waist from behind him. His arms immediately go slack and he stops fighting.

"Let's go sit down Zack." I whisper in his ear. "You're giving him exactly what he wants."

Breathing heavily, Zack turns around and puts an arm around my waist and heads back towards his chair.

"I think Zack's little outburst there clearly shows that he has the tendency to overreact. No further questions." The defense attorney says.

Mike gets up and makes his way to Brad. "How long have you had this mental disorder?"

"It just got diagnosed a couple of weeks ago, but I have been suffering from it for a while now." Brad replies smugly.

"Ah. I see. Well, I guess my only question is who in their right mind would give a mentally unstable person a gun? Obviously these papers were put together and signed by a "renowned doctor" for the purpose of getting Brad acquitted from attempted murder. These papers are false. And the fact still remains that Brad FIRED A GUN AT AN INNOCENT MAN! A MINOR NONE THE LESS!" Mike says passionately, getting the full attention of the court.

After Mike and the defense attorney make their closing arguments, the jury leaves to make a decision.

"Prepare to see me soon Martin." Brad says with a smirk.

**Hey my awesome readers! I just wanna say that I am SO unbelievably sorry for the lack of updates. I've had HUGE family drama, which put me in a bad mood. I knew that writing under those circumstances would not be good. But I would really appreciate reviews, even though I don't really deserve them :( Love ya!!!**


	19. Lashing Out

**Lashing Out**

"_Prepare to see me soon Martin." Brad says with a smirk._

Zack tenses his jaw and glares at Brad. He can't afford to lose his cool again. Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and hangs his head. To anyone else in the court room he would like serene, almost in a peaceful like sleep. But I can see the little clues that give away his apprehension. How his foot bounces up and down, how he's fumbling with his thumbs, how his breaths are shallow, and the rigidness of his back. I can't help but feel guilty, like I got him involved with this whole Brad drama. No matter how many times he has and will tell me it's not my fault, it won't change how I feel.

Trying to soothe him, I run my hand from the top of his shoulder to the middle of his back. Immediately relaxing, Zack leans back in the chair and turns his face to give me a weak smirk. His eyes suddenly get distant, like he's thinking of something.

"Zack?" I question, worried.

He shudders before replying, "What did you say sweet thang?"

I can hear the stress and strain of his voice. My own voice catches in my throat as I gaze into his vulnerable eyes. I have never seen him like this; then again, he's never been through a court trial. I have to reassure him right now. As much as I need food and water, I need him to feel safe and loved.

Putting my fingers under his chin to lift his face to my level, I say, "Zack, listen to me. You are going to be protected no matter what. You are going to be fine. They will take care of Brad. He's not going to bother you for much longer. I know that for a fact." After I said those words, I knew they were absolutely true. How could someone look into Zack's eyes and not automatically see his innocence and soul?

At that moment, the jury struts back into the court room, poker faces on. They made that decision fairly quickly. That could either be very good or….No, I won't allow myself to think like that. Once everybody rises, a member from the jury stands to speak.

He says, "The jury has come to the conclusion that Brad be admitted into a mental institution, where he will receive proper care for his disorder. Once cured, the court will reassess the situation."

"Court dismissed." The judge says and then walks down from his place.

Brad is immediately handcuffed and escorted from the room, trading glares between Zack and I.

"Zack, sweetie?" Carrie asks crossing over to her son with her arms spread wide.

Keeping his eyes trained on the ground, Zack pushes his mother's arms out of the way and walks briskly towards the doors. When he's upset, Zack hates physical contact and affection. It makes him feel smothered and weak. He's never told me that, I just know.

Everyone catches up to him as he opens the door and is overwhelmed by reporters. Pushing them out of the way, he continues towards the main exit with all of us trailing behind him and giving him the space he needs. The flashes of cameras and questions follow him to his car. He presses the unlock button on his car keys and opens the passenger door, giving me a pleading look. Like he'd ever have to ask me to be with him.

After I get into the car, he slams the door and makes his way to the driver's side, shoving reporters on his way. I can feel Carrie & Cody's stares piercing through my back. They're not used to sharing Zack and having him trust someone more than his own family. Carrie probably is furious at me for taking Zack away from her, but her son needs me right now. And he's always my first priority.

The ride back home is tense and quiet; with Zack glaring out the window and making his knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. I have no clue what to say. I feel like the worst girlfriend ever. I should at least be able to make him feel better! Maybe I should ask if he's okay. No! That's such a stupid question! Of course he's not okay. He just came from court!

"Zack, I'm so sor-"

"Don't continue if you're going to apologize. You did nothing wrong." Zack says curtly, accelerating a slightly.

"He's gone. That's all that matters. This is probably the best thing that could have happened." I say, trying to find a bright side in Brad's non sentence. "Maybe now instead of seeking revenge after he gets out, he'll leave us alone."

"Yeah." Zack says, obviously unconvinced.

It's then that I notice the speedometer. "Zack! Slow down! We don't wanna get dragged BACK to that courtroom again!"

"Just chill out Maddie!" he shouts. "This is hard enough. I don't need you on my case about my frickin driving skills! Just leave me ALONE for Christ's sake!"

Ouch. I wince as I feel a piercing through my heart. Through my blurry eyes, I can see that Zack immediately regrets what he said though. His face shows all the pain he's held in during the last couple of weeks. I know that he didn't truly mean what he said to me. He's just taking out his pain on the closest person to him…which happens to be me. My tears from his yelling are replaced by tears from the look on his face. He looks that upset from yelling at me.

Zack slows down the car and pulls to a stop on the side of the highway. "Maddie, I-"

"Ssh." I say, putting my fingers to his lips. The apologetic and vulnerable look on his face shatters my heart. It hurts to see him so fragile. I unbuckle out seatbelts and climb on top of his lap. Putting my arms around his neck, I squeeze him as hard as I possibly can. At first, Zack tries to resist the contact. But after a few seconds, he wraps his arms around my waist just as tightly. I ignore the small aching in my sides from his grip and focus on making him release all his pent up feelings. Zack buries his face in the crook of my neck, and I instantly feel my shirt being soaked. His body shudders under me from his silent sobs. I have to remind myself to be the strong one and not break down for him. He's always a solid rock for me when I need him to be. Finally I have the chance to show him that I can be just as stable to lean on.

We continue like this for an hour or so, with me running a hand through his hair and whispering, "I love you. You are protected. Don't worry. We'll figure this out. I promise," over and over again in his ear.

When he stops crying, he looks up at me with his tear-stricken eyes and says, "Thank you sweet thang."

"Don't thank me. I'm always going to be here for you. Why don't I drive the rest of the way home?" I say, noticing his drooping lids.

"Kay." Zack barely manages to get out before moving to the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt, and closing his eyes.

I'm left alone with my thoughts as I drive home. I feel blessed that Zack would share that side of him with me. I don't even think he's cried like that with Cody.

After thirty minutes, me and a groggy Zack enter the Tipton lobby.

"Where have you two been?!" shrieks Carrie in her motherly way. Cody and her run to Zack and hug him as if their lives depended on it. Who knows? Maybe they did. This time though, Zack didn't squirm away from them. He must still be tired.

"Rumors were flying around that you two drove off to Vegas to get hitched." London says, knowing exactly how to make Zack crack a smile.

"Not legal yet." Zack says, smirking. Although I know he's joking, the thought of marrying Zack sends butterflies in my stomach. Get a hold of yourself Maddie!

"What took you guys so long?" Cody asks.

Zack subtly looks over at me, pleading with his eyes for me to not speak a word of what happened.

"We saw a bunny." I say, speaking the first excuse that comes to my head. It brings me back to our first date, when he almost veered off the road because of a bunny that I saw. We both grin from the inside joke, while everyone else looks confused. Except London.

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean." London says, dead serious. "Happens to me all the time. Their fluffy tails are just so distracting."

I love her for reasons like that. She knows exactly how to break the tension in a room.

"Let's go up to our suite honey." Carrie says to Zack.

"Goodnight sweet thang." Zack says, coming closer to me.

"I'll be the first thing you see when you open your eyes." I say to him.

Zack seems reassured by that. Then a new look comes over his eyes as he leans down to give me a peck on the cheek. I go into autopilot though, putting my arms around his neck and connecting our lips. I feel him reciprocate and pull me closer to him. As I deepen the kiss and start to run my fingers through his silky blond hair, I hear an "ugh-hmm," from beside me.

I blush as red as a tomato as I realize all the people around us. Zack is quickly dragged away by his mother. I busy myself with organizing the candy counter to distract me from my embarrassment.

"I was right. You guys don't take a break." London says as she skips away in her high heels before I can respond.

"Is he okay?" asks a deep voice from behind me. "Well, I mean as good as he can be."

"Yeah…" I reply to Mr. Moseby.

"He's a great guy." He says with a smile. He and Zack are closer than they both realize. I find it cute. After thinking for a moment, Mr. Moseby says, "But don't tell him I said that."

"You have my word." I say with a giggle.

"Take care of him though please." Mr. Moseby says. I feel as though he acts like Zack's second father sometimes, since Kurt is hardly around here.

"Everyday." I say to Mr. M. I head up to London's suite to seek for the sleep I know won't find me.

**Hey my awesome, lovely, talented, amazing readers!!!! First, let me say I am SOSOSOSOSOSOOSOSO sorry the update was so late!!!! I've had exams and have them all next week!! I'm actually supposed to be studying right now…ssh. I love you guys!!! I hope people still read this story!!! Please review!!! A special thanks to all my anonymous reviewers who I always wish I could thank:**

** Marium: Thanks for your reviews and compliments. They mean SO much to me and make writing this story much more fun. **

**Kristina: Your reviews make me smile. Always. I always get excited when I see I have a review from you. Thank you!!**

** Crystal Lee: Thanks for pushing me to write the next chapter!!! Btw, Crystal one of my favorite names ever. Lol. **


	20. My Inner Child

My Inner Child 

"Where is he?!" I screech, pounding Brad's chest.

"Don't worry baby," Brad says, grabbing my hands forcefully. "I took care off him. Now you're all mine."

"I will never love you!" I scream, connecting my fist to his jaw.

"Better get used to me. I'm gonna be around for a while." Brad says with a devilish smirk.

The incessant beeping of my phone wakes me up sharply from my nightmare. My hair is damp with sweat and my covers are crumpled up at the bottom of my bed. That nightmare seemed so real that I feel disoriented as to where I am. When I finally got to sleep last night, my mind was so consumed with Brad's trial. He ended leaking into my dreams while I was unconscious too. Great. I can't seem to get rid off him!

_Beep beep. Beep beep. _I grab the source of my early wakeup time from the nightstand table. My phone vibrates in my hand as I flip it open, signaling that I have a new text message. Who in their right mind wakes up this early? I look at the clock to my left and notice that it's 11. Oh well. I can still keep my promise to Zack about me being the first person he sees when he opens his eyes since he doesn't get up till noon anyway. I wonder if he slept okay. Probably had as bad a night as I did. Maybe even worse. What if he never even got to sleep? What if –

_Beep beep. Beep beep. _That annoying sound snaps me out of my worry about Zack's sleeping habits. I open the text message and see that it's from my close friend, Olivia.

_Call me call me call me as soon as you get this!!! Big news :D – O _

Feeling excited as to what she has to tell me, I press speed dial to call her.

Picking up on the first ring, she screams, "Yay Maddie! Okay, guess what?!"

"Good morning to you too." I chuckle. That girl has way too much energy.

"Guess guess guess!" she shrieks. I can practically see her jumping up and down as she says this.

With Olivia, her news could be anything from a major gossip to a new pair of shoes she bought. Thinking I say, "Um…-"

"Okay I'll tell you." She says impatiently. "We're going to New York!"

"Huh?" I say confused.

"For my birthday, my parents are letting me spend a week-end in New York! And they said I could bring a friend along. Guess who that might be?" she says excitedly.

"Oh my gosh! When?!" I shrieking right alongside her.

"Tonight!" she enthuses. My heart immediately drops as she continues. "We're going to see Broadway plays, and go to Dylan's Candy Bar, and shop till we drop and-"

"I can't go." I say disappointingly.

"Why not?" Olivia whines.

"Zack is going through a lot of hard stuff right now. He needs me." _I need him. _I add silently in my head. "I think you should take someone else."

"Naw." She says. "It wouldn't feel the same without you. This boy must be pretty important if you're willing to give up a free pass to the coolest place on the east coast."

"Yup." I say, trying to sound nonchalant. In truth, Zack is way more than just important. He's my whole life, my reason for existence practically. But mentioning this in normal conversation would either make me seem like a lunatic or some sappy, corny person.

"Call me if you can convince him to let you go." Olivia says, clinging on to any hope she can get her hands on for me to go. I don't even want to try to convince him though; I want to be with him as much or maybe even more than he wants to be with me.

"Will do." I say as I hang up.

With that conversation over, I quickly get dressed into leggings, an oversized sweatshirt, and Ugg boots. I fix my hair into a lose ponytail and put on minimal make-up. Not one of my prettiest days, but Zack has always told me how he loves my natural beauty more than anything else. I grab my keys and rush down to the Martin apartment.

After Cody lets me in, I practically skip to Zack's room. Just as I predicted, he's dead asleep with his covers twisted around him like a vice grip. I chuckle and sit down on the bed running my fingers through his hair. Seeing that this is not enough motivation to wake him up, I press my lips to his in a chaste kiss.

As expected, his eyes instantly pop open as he sports an early morning grin.

"Hey sweet thing." He murmurs, capable of flirting even though he's just woken up.

"Hey yourself." I say kissing him on the cheek and pulling the covers off of him. "Rise and shine."

"No." Zack whines, reverting back to age five as he pulls the covers around him once more.

"Come on sweetie." I say, trying to use a stern voice. Though his adorable eyes are making it hard to. "I promised your mom I'd help you catch up on your homework." I walk over to the desk he shares with Cody and grab his history textbook.

"Do I have to Sweet thang?" Zack says, using his persuasive puppy dog pout unfairly.

"Yes, you do." I say, happy at myself for not caving. "Here you-"

Next thing I know, Zack's arms wrap around my waist and pull me down onto the bed next to him.

"Fine, fine." Zack says, abandoning all hope of getting out of work.

He takes the books from my hands and opens it up to a new chapter. I snuggle up next to him, while he puts a protective arm around me, pulling me even closer to him. I could just lie here, watching Zack for hours. He mesmerizes me. It's like I have an addiction for seeing him, no matter what he's doing. I giggle at the cute way he mouths words to himself that he doesn't understand.

"What?" Zack asks, looking amused.

Looking up into his eyes, I notice how close to each other we are. Our faces are just about an inch away from each other. My breathing picks up and I completely forget his question as he starts to lean into me.

"Am I interrupting something?" Cody asks as he comes in, a smirk on his face. Zack, being his typical self, throws his textbook at Cody, missing by only a couple inches. "I'll take that as a yes." Cody says, as he quickly leaves the room.

"Where were we?" asks Zack as he starts to lean in once more. When our lips finally connect after what seems like ages, a fire starts in the pit of my stomach. Burning passion soars through me as I put my arms around his neck and pull him on top of me. "Study break." Zack mumbles.

"'Kay" I say, completely ignoring the fact that Zack has only studied for about five minutes.

I leave the room so Zack can change and notice that we are all alone. Carrie wasn't here before and Cody must have left after walking in on us. When Zack emerges from his man cave, I can't help the small gasp that escapes through my lips. How does he manage to look like he just stepped off the runway in jeans and t-shirt?

"So…" I say to Zack as I run my fingers up and down his shoulder. "What's on the agenda today? We're all alone…"

"I know." Zack says his eyes boring into mine. "Which is why I don't trust myself to here with you. Plus, I want to show you something."

"What?" I ask curiously.

"You'll see." Zack says with a mischievous smirk as he puts on his jacket and takes my hand.

Once we get into his car and drive for about 15 minutes, we stop at a parking lot. After we step out of the car (Zack opening my door for me of course) I take a look around. "You wanted to show me a playground?" I ask, fairly amused.

"This isn't just any normal playground," Zack smirks putting an arm around my shoulders as we begin to walk towards it. "It is the biggest outdoor playground in the area. I would know."

I laugh and wrap both my arms around his waist.

When we get to the playground, my eyes are immediately bombarded by images of kids everywhere with their parents sitting on all the benches with their strollers and snack bags. As soon as the little girls spot us, they come running up to Zack and I.

"Hey Zack." Says a cute, little girl in pigtails who looks about four years old.

"How ya doing Alexa?" Zack asks, releasing me to pick the little girl off the ground. She lets out a yelp of surprise and wraps her arms around his neck.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in forever!" She exclaims, sadness filling her eyes.

"I've been…busy. It's only been two weeks since you last saw me, you little drama queen." Zack says, tickling her.

After a couple of laughs, Alexa turns her head towards me. "Is this your girlfriend Zackie?"

"Yes I am." I reply with a large smile.

"I thought you said you'd wait to be with me!" she says to him with an adorable pout. So apparently Zack has the entire female population lusting after him.

"Here," Zack says as he sets Alexa down and pulls out 50 cents. "Buy yourself an ice cream."

"Yay!" Alexa says, giving him a hug. It's the most adorable thing, seeing as though she only comes up to his waist in height. When we eventually get away from the crowd of kids that are in "love" with Zack, we lounge around on the swings.

"You're very popular here." I say to him, propping my feet onto his lap.

He chuckles and responds, "Yeah, after I got over fear of kids from that terrible daycare incident, we get a long pretty well."

"That Alexa girl reminded me of you." I say with a giggle.

"How so?" Zack asks, feigning offense.

"Oh, I don't know," I reply. "Maybe it was the whole crush on an older person thing…"

Zack laughs and my heart fills with joy as I see his eyes light up the way they haven't since Brad came into our lives again. "Come on, let's slide." He says.

I giggle as he pulls me onto his back for a piggyback ride. When we get to the opening of the slide, I say, "I don't think I've done this since I was out of ten."

"Well, then you're overdue for one." Zack says. I sit down, and Zack plops down behind me, wrapping his legs and arms around me. I feel so protected, that is until Zack pushes us off the ledge and we begin sliding down the enclosed plastic tube. Zack wasn't kidding when he said this was a big playground. It must have taken us 10 seconds to reach the ground, which let me tell you, is a long time for a slide. Somehow we got twisted up together on our ride down, with Zack landing on his back and me landing on top of him on my stomach when we hit the ground.

"Oh my gosh Zack! Are you okay?!" I manage to get out in-between my laughing.

"Yeah." He mumbles, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"That has got to be the most fun I've had in years!" I say, still giggling. "Man, I need life."

"You've got a life. Me." Zack chuckles as he lifts us both the ground. "Wanna go again?"

"Definitely." I reply, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind me.

After a couple of hours of horsing around on the jungle gym, half the kids have left, giving Zack and I more turns on the slide, monkey bars, etc. We were having a blast to say the least. He can turn the simplest things into a hilariously fun activity.

"I have one last thing to show you." Zack says with a smile, grabbing my hand as we walk across a wooden bridge. "Follow me."

He enters a plastic tunnel, while I follow closely behind. I'm instantly impressed by the complexity of the tunnels. There are so many different turns and directions to choose from. After a left, a right, another left, two more rights, and finally one last left, the tunnel ends and leads into a big, open square box. Zack crawls into it and I follow closely behind.

"This," Zack says, gesturing around him, "Is my secret hide out spot. I've never told anyone about this place. Not even Cody. This is the one place I know I can escape to when life gets tough. It may seem pretty lame but…"

I shimmy up next to him and say, "Thank you for sharing this with me Zack. And I think it's awesome by the way. I've never seen a place like this before. And I pinky promise to keep it a secret." I say, my inner child being brought out of me.

The locking of our pinkies is the contact we need to pick up where we left off in the bedroom. As I run my hands all over Zack's hair, I deepen the kiss, earning a grunt from Zack. He then lowers his head to my neck, kissing and licking it all over. I gasp and wrap my legs around him, bringing him as close to me as possible. As I feel my sweatshirt being lifted up, I gently push Zack off of me. "We have to keep this rated G."

"Ugh." Zack grunts, rolling onto his back.

I almost consider jumping back on Zack again, missing his closeness, before my phone knocks that senseless idea out of my head, signaling I have a text message.

_So can you go? – O_

Before I get the chance to respond, Zack asks, "Go where?" Sneaky busybody. But I love him for it.

"Nowhere." I reply, trying to look indifferent.

Zack, of course, sees right through that. "Tell me…please." He says with a puppy dog pout.

"Ugh, I hate when you do that," I say as I sit on his lap. "Olivia invited me to spend a weekend in New York with her to celebrate her birthday."

"Why aren't you going? You love New York." Zack says, pressing his forehead into mine.

Avoiding eye contact I reply, "Because I wanted to be here for you. You've gone through so much drama in the past couple of weeks and you deserve to have someone to lean on."

"Go." Zack says simply.

"No Zack!" I reply. "The decision is already ma-"

"Go. I don't want you missing out on life and adventures because of me. Besides, I'm just gonna mope around all weekend. Pretty boring stuff. You won't be missing out on anything. Trust me; I'm going to be just fine. Please go." He says, releasing the full intensity of his eyes.

"Fine," I sigh. "But I'm calling you every night." I say, hoping I don't sound obsessive.

"I'll look foreword to it." Zack says, kissing my nose.

_I can come – M _

_Great! Come over ASAP!!!! – O _

"I'll drive you." Zack says, crawling through the maze of tunnels once more.

After we get to the Tipton and I pack my bags, Zack drives me to Olivia's house. When we get there, Zack opens my door for me and carries my bag to the door. I ring the doorbell and Olivia immediately answers the door.

"Maddie!" she yells, pulling me into a vise grip hug.

"Hey!" I reply back. "Long time no see. Oh, Olivia this is Zack. Zack, Olivia."

Zack and Olivia shake hands in greeting as she looks him up and down. My possessive side makes me put an arm around Zack's waist, which makes Olivia let go of Zack's hand. "Let me take your bags up. Come to my room when you're done saying goodbye." She says in a friendly voice as she brings my suitcase up the stairs.

"So, I guess this is goodbye." I say reluctantly to Zack.

"You make it sound like you're never coming back. It's only for two days sweet thang. We'll make it through…somehow." He says with a sad smirk.

"Yeah…make sure to drive safe, and finish your homework, and don't forget to-"

Zack breaks off my worry rant with a passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around me to pull me close. My hands automatically lock behind his neck, playing with the hair on the back of his head. My whole body seems to tingle as my hands rub against Zack's jaw. After what seems like seconds, but in reality is minutes, Zack breaks the kiss, gasping for breath.

"I'll see you soon." He says, grabbing my hand and giving it a kiss before walking back towards his car. I feel tears well up in my eyes and my throat tighten as I watch his car drive away. I'm pathetic. It's irrational to miss someone this much when I'm only going to be away for a couple of days. But I was so close to losing him after he got shot and he's been distant ever since the trial. Today was the first day he seemed to be back to his regular self. I didn't want to say goodbye to that so quickly.

When I get to Olivia's room, I put on my brave face, willing myself not to be a party pooper. I want to make this weekend special for her.

"Wow Mads," she says when she sees me. "You told me he was hot but…WOW!"

"Yeah, yeah." I say with a sigh. "That's the typical female reaction."

"I didn't mean anything by it – I mean I would NEVER go after your – what I'm trying to say is-"

"It's fine." I cut her off laughing.

On the train ride to New York, my thoughts are consumed with Zack. I tried to be peppy and happy for Olivia, but I think she could tell that something was up. If she did though, she didn't say anything about it, for which I am grateful. After we checked into the fancy hotel her parents paid for us, we watched a movie about killer zombies. It was pretty gruesome, but as long as it wasn't a romance film, I wasn't going to complain. I was missing Zack enough as it is. Of course, the film put Olivia to sleep instead of making her scream. Typical Olivia. I carried her lightweight body into her bed and tucked her in. She's an extremely heavy sleeper. Almost as bad as Zack. No! Maddie, stop that! Don't think about him right now! Distraction. I need a distraction! Oh, I know! Look for something shiny! No wait, that's London. Dang it!

Giving up, I resin to lying down in my bed, hoping for sleep to overcome me. Of course it doesn't.

After looking at the window for about two hours, my phone rings. I quickly run over and answer it, glimpsing at the clock and see that it's about midnight. Who would be calling me at this hour?

"Hello?" I ask, not even bother to whisper.

"Oh, Maddie, thank god you answered!" Zack says, sounding like he's out of breath.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I ask worriedly.

"I just…I don't know what to do – I mean…ugh! I hate my life!" Zack yells. I hear a breaking noise that sounds like glass shattering.

"What's wrong?!" I ask, desperately trying to understand the situation.

"I'm freaking out! Why does this stuff keep happening to me?!" He screams and I hear more glass breaking.

"That's it." I say. "I'm coming home." I need to help him, no matter how big or small this situation is.

"No, I can't ask you to do that." Zack replies glumly.

"Zack, I will drive all night and day to get to you if you need me, ok?" I say firmly. There is a long pause from the other end of the line before Zack speaks again.

"I need you."

**Hey guys! So I have no excuse for the late update. I just have been busy with life. I think that I'm going to make updates every 2 weeks so I don't keep disappointing you guys with late updates. But believe me, I will try my absolute hardest to update every week. I am also gonna try to update again this weekend. Review pretty please with a cherry on top!!! I love all my readers and reviewers!!!! Reviews = happy me****J **

**To my anonymous reviewers once more:**

**Marium: Thanks for always reviewing!!! I LOVE it. No joke. Lol**

**Kristina: Hey! Thanks for your compliments! They mean so much to me. I'm a romantic at heart so that's where I draw my inspiration from. I can't seem to shut my brain off. Lol. Anyway, I think I got a review from you about a guy like Zack at your school. I keep looking for the message, so I know how to respond to it because I forget the details in it, but I can't find it anywhere!!!! I don't even know if it was you that asked me for the advice, but I'm pretty sure it was. If it was, then that's why I didn't respond. But anyway, thanks as always for reviewing the last chapter. It always makes my day better. **


	21. Two Words

Two Words

"_Zack, I will drive all night and day to get to you if you need me, ok?" I say firmly. There is a long pause from the other end of the line before Zack speaks again. _

"_I need you." _

After saying our good-byes, the line goes dead. I frantically scourge the room for paper and a writing utensil. Settling for a pen and an unused napkin, I quickly scribble a note to my sleeping friend.

_Hey,_

_ Some emergency came up. Don't_

_ worry, I'm fine, but I have to leave_

_ early. I'll try to make it back for the _

_ rest of the weekend. I'll call you. I'm_

_ SO sorry. You are getting the best gift _

_ ever, k? _

_Mads _

I block out all thoughts of what could have happened as I grab my car keys and purse and rush out of the apartment suite. I ran like a maniac to the elevator doors, pressing the down button again and again. After five seconds of waiting, I decide it's taking too long to arrive and rush towards the stairs. I run down the stairs, skipping steps, jumping over railings, anything I need to do to reach the bottom floor. Once I make it down those sixteen stories, I race out to the bus stop. Checking my watch, I realize that it is 12:15. The bus won't be here for a while, so instead of waiting around like an oaf, I run to the train station. 

Let's just say that maybe wasn't the smartest thing to do. See, I've never really been at the top of my gym class and I was already pushing my luck with running down the stairs. I was bound to make contact with the ground at some point. Thirty minutes of attempted running and about fifty falls later, I finally make it to the train station. Out of breath and probably looking like a crazed lunatic, I approach the ticket counter.

"I…need…a ticket…to Boston…right away." I manage to get out between pants.

"Alright," the lady in uniform says as she gives me a strange look. "Let me see what if we have anything available."

"Available?!" I screech. "It's almost one in the morning. What idiot travels the train at one in the morning?!" Realizing I've managed to insult myself and act like a total bitch to the poor lady, I shoot her an apologetic look.

"Right…well I'm going to need you to calm down." She says as she begins typing on the computer. "Our earliest train for Boston is at five a.m. You are welcome to wait if it pleases you."

"Thank you." I sigh as my hopes are crushed. Five is too late, I have to get home sooner. I sit down at a nearby bench, wondering what to do. A train leaving when I need it to would be too easy. And we all know that my life isn't too easy. Suddenly, an idea sparks in my head. It's a small chance, but I can't give up hope.

Rummaging through my purse, I pull out my cell phone. Pressing my speed dial, I call up London. I'm about to hang up after the third ring before a rough voice answers, "Hello?"

"Hey London. It's me Maddie." I say quickly.

"Maddie? What are you doing up? It's…okay the little hand is pointing to the-"

"I need help." I cut her off. It could take fifteen minutes for her to figure out the time. "I'm in New York City and I need to get to Boston ASAP. Do you have a plane here? Our your own train? Our something?!"

"What are you doing in New York?" London asks, sounding baffled.

"London please!" I yell, immediately regretting losing patience. I would be just as confused if I were in her shoes. "I'll tell you when I get back okay? Just…could you help me get home?"

"My planes at Boston." She replies. My heart drops, defeated. "Where are you right now?"

"Train station." I sigh.

"I can send one of my drivers to pick you up?" she suggests.

"That sounds great. Thanks London. I don't know what I'd do without you." I reply, utterly grateful.

"Okay, I'll call `em up and then get back to my beauty sleep. Not that I actually need it." she replies, satisfied at her solution.

"Alright, bye. Thanks so much" I reply and hang up.

After thirty minutes of fidgeting and bouncing in my seat, a man in a tuxedo with tired eyes arrives. My guilt of having London wake him up this early is forgotten as I think of my goal; getting home to Zack. "Madeline?" he asks.

"Yes, that's me." I respond as we quickly make our way to the small limo that is my ride. "Do you mind if I drive?" I ask, when he opens the passenger door for me.

"Um…sure. I guess that'd be okay." He replies and sits down in the passenger seat. He must realize as much as I do that he is in no condition to drive. But my real reason for wanting to drive isn't because of his tiredness. It's because I want to get home as quickly as possible. And that means…speeding. Yes, Madiline Fitzpatrick is actually going to break a rule, a law nonetheless.

Quickly making my way out of the parking lot, I start down the street. Managing my way through traffic (does New York ever sleep?) I find myself on the highway. Luckily, my driver is out cold, so no complaint comes from him as I go 85 in a 65 mph area.

As I'm driving the reality of the situation comes back to me. I don't know what's going on, how to fix it, and most importantly, if Zack's okay. This thought makes me practically floor the pedal. Wary of cops though, I decide to slow down. After a couple of hours, I turn off the highway. Driving through the familiar streets, I shiver. It seems so eerie at night.

I pull up to the Tipton and rush up the front stairs to the lobby, tripping numerous times. I enter the building to see Carrie talking frantically to Mr. Moseby, Cody pacing the floor, and London sitting on the couch.

"Maddie!" Carrie exclaims, the first to notice me. "I thought you were in New York?"

"I was. Where is he?" I ask, my hearting beating a mile a minute.

"I don't know! One minute he was in his room and then….he was gone." She replies, tears falling from her eyes, as she sits down on the couch next to London. "We've got to find him!" she yells frantically.

"What…what happened?" I manage to choke out, barely over a whisper.

And then Cody says the two words that could practically make my heart stop.

"Brad escaped."

**Hey guys! I know, I'm really mean. Okay two things. One, you know that big snowstorm hitting the NE in the U.S.A right now? Where there is a record breaking 4 feet of snow? Yeah, I'm in that. And I haven't had power in days!!! Ugh, it was terrible. So that is the reason for the late update. And I also think that this chapter is a lot shorter than my others, but I'm not sure yet. I haven't checked. But I'm really excited for the next one, so that's probably going to be out in a couple of days. And I don't have school till Tuesday, so I'll definitely get it out before then. You have my word :) Thanks for all the reviews! They are amazing and I appreciate every single one. They encourage me to write. No joke. This morning I checked my email, and I had a review saying "more more". So I was like "Okay!" and wrote this as soon as I was done reading that. So yeah. Lol. I know this wasn't my best writing, but I was in a rush. Hope you guys like it though. And thanks, as always. **


	22. Smoothing Things Over

**Smoothing Things Over**

"_Brad escaped." _

The first emotion I felt was pain, like it was shooting throughout my whole body. There was a stinging in my heart along with sudden dizziness. When was this nightmare ever going to end? What will it take to finally get my happy ending?

"What do you mean he escaped?!" I asked when I finally got my breath back.

"What do you mean what do I mean?!" Cody shouts back at me, equally upset.

"Oh my god." I say as I begin hyperventilating. London leads me towards the couch to sit. Once I sit down, my vision becomes blurry from the lack of oxygen in my lungs. London puts her arm around me, while I hide my face in my hands. When I get enough breath back to talk lightly, I say, "Did Brad…did he…Zack…?"

London immediately catches on for once on what I'm trying to say. "Maddie, look at me. Zack isn't missing because of Brad. Well, I bet he is, but Brad didn't kidnap Zack or anything. Zack just…left…on his own."

"He didn't say where he was going?" I ask, hope gone.

"No, he didn't." London says as she rubs my arm, like she's trying to heat me up. "We've looked everywhere! He's not at the mall, the skate park, or any parties. We don't know anyplace else to look."

I look up and lock eyes with Carrie. She looks more frightened than I have ever seen her before. Even more so than at the trial. This is bad. I rack my brain for where Zack could be, but it's hard to think in this state. Come on Maddie, think! While I try to search my brain for an idea of where he could be, flashbacks come back to my mind one by one.

"_Hey sweet thang!" the high-voiced Zack Martin asks me. _

"_Please," I say in my stuck up 16 year old voice. "I have candy here that's older than you."_

"_Aw come one Mads!" Zack whines. "Just one little date!" _

_Just then, I see Cody walking through the Tipton doors, holding his arm closely to his body. As he comes closer, I can see that his face also has scratches and new forming bruises all over it. _

"_What did you do to Cody?" I ask Zack in an accusing voice. _

"_Nothing. We were horsing around and a giant bird attacked him!" Zack says in a passionate voice. _

"_Okay." I say and pause a moment. After, I ask, "So the real story?"_

"_Fine," Zack sighs. "I can't lie to you sweet thang. Cody and I were playing on the playground and I may have accidentally pushed him off the monkey bars."_

"_Zack!" I scold. "Go make sure your brother is ok. Right now!"_

"_Whatever you say," Zack says as he hangs his head and walks away. _

I would laugh at that memory if it wasn't for these circumstances. Not at the fact that Cody got hurt, but how dramatic Zack could be. He should be on a soap opera or something. Really. All of a sudden an idea strucks me like a lightening bolt in an open field.

"I know where Zack is!" I yell, immediately jumping out of my seat and heading towards the doors.

"Where is he?" Carrie demands. "I'll come with you."

"I have to do this alone," I say reluctantly. "But I promise you that I will bring home your son safe and sound." I say with conviction in my voice.

Carrie looks at the ground and slightly nods her head. I feel so badly for her that I almost change my mind and let her come with me. But that wouldn't be good in the end. I need to do this alone.

Quickly running to my car, I feel my hopes rise. As soon as I turn my key, I'm racing down the road like a maniac once again. And once again, I'm praying that no cops are around the area. After 20 minutes of speeding and fidgeting in my seat, I arrive at my destination. I take off my seat belt and get out of the car hurriedly, not bothering to lock my doors as I walk forward. I race across the maze of steps and bridges until I get to the spot. The tunnels. Zack's secret hiding place; the only place he truly feels safe and alone. As I crawl through the familiar tunnels, nostalgia hits my like a bullet. How did things fall apart so quickly? This afternoon we were having a blast playing here, laughing our heads off. It doesn't take me long to lose focus and track of where I am. Was it two lefts a right and a left? Or the other way around? Or something else entirely?

After ten frantic minutes of crawling, I finally spot the familiar hang out place. I quietly look inside at Zack. He's sitting with his arms around his stomach, like he's trying to hold himself together. His eyes are closed and his head is leaning against the plastic wall. The scene is heartbreaking. I can literally feel his pain at the moment washing over me with no mercy.

"Zack?" I ask in a cracked voice.

His head immediately swings around towards me, his eyes wide with fear and surprise. After he realizes that it's just me, I hear him exhale largely. "Maddie." He whispers.

That's all he needs to say as I crawl over to his side and wrap my arms around his torso in a viselike grip. He reciprocates. "I'm so glad you're okay." I whisper.

"I told you I would be fine," he murmurs in my hair.

"How are you holding up?" I ask after a considerable pause. "You have everyone really worried. Nobody knows where you are."

"I can't worry about them right now." Zack sighs, looking out a little plastic window. "Thanks for coming back. I'm sorry you missed out on your weekend."

"It's okay." I speak with full honesty. "I would much rather be with you."

He kisses my forehead as I lean closer against him, if that's possible. "Zack?" I ask.

"Yeah," he murmurs against my forehead.

I pull away so that I can look into his eyes. "I know this may be hard…but you have to let Carrie in Zack. She's your mother and she's worried about you."

"She doesn't understand." He says, looking down and playing with my fingers.

"That's because you don't let her!" I say and Zack looks up surprised by my tone. "She loves you. You're not her little boy anymore, and she misses you. She can be a part of your life and understand you if you let her in. You've gotta give her a chance. Please?"

"Whatever you say." He says, repeating those words from so many years ago. Except this time, I can tell that he means it. A new look suddenly crosses his face, his eyes turn darker and his head drops slightly.

My breath hitches in my throat and I put my hands on his cheeks. He looks into my eyes as he slowly leans in, making me anticipate the moment more. I quickly connect my lips to his impatiently. We start attacking each others mouths with desire and want. Zack deepens the kiss, much to my pleasure. I move my hands to his hair, feeling its softness that makes it so irresistible. Zack moves his body downwards, bringing my body under him and making my back rest against the floor. I hook my legs around his in a strong grip, feeling all over him with my hands. I moan as he moves his lips away from mine to go down my jaw line and down my neck. Right as he's about to reach my shoulder, my cell phone rings. Zack groans and says "I hate getting interrupted."

"Get used to it." I chuckle as I pull my phone out of my pocket.

"Don't answer it. Please," Zack asks in a seductive voice with smoldering eyes. I almost give in before I see that the caller ID says that Carrie is calling. I gently push Zack off me and answer the phone reluctantly. "Hello?" I ask in a breathless.

"Did you find him?" Carrie immediately asks.

"Yes," I say and hear a sigh of relief on the other end of the line. "We're about to come home."

"Okay," she says. "But I feel I should let you know that Brad has been brought back to the mental institution. They found him and said he won't be out anytime soon. Don't worry though; I'm not going to let this go that easily."

"Thank god he's gone." I say in full relief.

"Yeah…so pass that on to Zack for me please. He doesn't seem to want anything to do with me at the moment, and I want him to know this."

"Will do." I say and hang up.

"What was that about?" Zack asks confused.

"That was your mother." I say. "She says that Brad is back where he should be. We don't have to worry about him anymore. I bet they have him under more watchful eyes this time."

"Yes!" Zack says and leans his head back in relief. "Well, let's go home."

After our drive home, we enter the Tipton, hand in hand. The way it always should be.

"Zack!" Carrie shouts as soon as she spots her son. She can't help herself as she runs to Zack and throws her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as I did. At first Zack doesn't react, not being a fan of public affection with his mother, but after a moment he hugs her back. It's a beautiful sight. I doubt they have hugged in months. "I missed you so much."

"I'm so sorry mom," Zack says as he pulls away to look at her. "I didn't mean to make you worried by running off like that. I promise I won't do that again."

Tears fill Carrie's eyes as she strokes Zack's cheek. "Thank you Zack. Why don't we have a mother son night? Just the two of us, so that we can catch up with each other. I've felt like I haven't really talked to you in so long now."

"Sure mom. Sounds fun." Zack says. "Give me one second." He approaches me, takes my hands, and asks, "Is okay if I stay at my suite tonight?"

I'm sure my reaction was not what he expected. I start laughing when I heard his question.

"What?" Zack asks confused.

"Are you seriously asking me if you can stay at _your _house?" I chuckle.

Zack smirks and says, "Huh. I guess I am. I'm just so used to being in your room."

"Go Zack." I say with a smile. "This will be good for you two. Have fun."

"'Kay" Zack says and kisses me on my check for several seconds. "Webcam later?"

"Sure," I smile.

Once I get back up to my suite with London, I feel extremely exhausted. All my energy was used up worrying about and finding Zack. Now that adrenaline has crashed and I'm left feeling like I'm sleep walking. I say a quick goodnight to London and dress into my pajamas. I hop into bed eagerly and after a couple of minutes I completely pass out.

I'm rudely awakened by a high-pitched ringing sound. I groan and grab my laptop from underneath my bed. I immediately recognize that sound as my skype account signals that I have a call. With my eyes half closed I press the accept button to pickup the call.

"Hey sweet thang." Zack says in a hyper voice.

My eyes instantly open all the way and suddenly I'm not tired at all. "Hey Zacky." I try to say in a coy voice, but my rough voice ruins that plan. I look at the screen and see that breathtaking smile creep onto his face. I LOVE skype. This is so much better than a phone call; the video call allows me to see his face. "How was your night with your mom?"

"It was good. We had a lot of fun. I let her in, like you said. And as I've said before and as I will say a million times more…you were right. Letting her in was a good idea." He admits.

I smirk in satisfaction. "So what do you want to do tomorrow?" I ask.

"Well actually," Zack starts. "Max invited me to a party at her place. Her parents are out of town and she's always wanted to have one. Do you want to go?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" I ask. "You've been through a lot recently."

"I'm always up for parties!" Zack says with enthusiasm as he attempts to dance while sitting on his bed.

"Okay then!" I say, his energy irresistible.

"Great!" he exclaims happily. "I'll pick you up at six?"

"Sounds good to me. See you than sweetie!" I say with a giggle.

"All right sweet thang." Zack says.

"Zack Martin!" I immediately recognize Carrie's voice in the background. "What are you doing up this late on the computer?"

I look at the clock at the bottom right hand side of the computer screen and see that it's one a.m. Wow, no wonder I was tired.

"Nothing mommy!" Zack says in an innocent voice with cute, puppy eyes. He quickly blows me a kiss before his mother ends the call.

I chuckle and snuggle under the covers once more, feeling warm and cozy. I'm not normally a party person, but it's been so long since Zack and I have had time together where we just had fun. 

**Hey guys! This came out two days later than expected. Sorry about that. I really am. As you can probably tell, I'm not the most reliable person for updates, but I do try to fulfill my deadlines. Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. Please review! It always means so much to me!**


	23. Party Hard

**Party Hard**

_I chuckle and snuggle under the covers once more, feeling warm and cozy. I'm not normally a party person, but it's been so long since Zack and I have had time together where we just had fun. _

"London!" I say, frustrated. "I don't have to look like I'm going to the prom!"

"Oh come on Mads," she says dismissively with a flick of her hand. "Don't you want to impress your man?"

"Yes, but wearing a ball gown is not the way to do it." I say flatly, changing out of the ridiculous dress and slipping on a more practical outfit. Before London has the opportunity to argue with me anymore on the subject, there's a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" I scream, with too much enthusiasm.

"Desperate." London mumbles under her breath, still upset over the dress issue.

I roll my eyes stubbornly and open the door. My eyes are treated to the sight of Zack wearing jeans, converse, a tee-shirt, and a leather jacket, accentuating his eyes. His magnificent eyes. Those dreamy blue orbs that I can get lost in time and time again. Those ocean like eyes –

My thoughts are caught off when a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and lift me off of the floor, twirling me around. "I missed you." Zack says in a husky voice in my ear, making me shiver.

"Right back at you." I say, when he puts me down. Wow, I need a better vocabulary.

"Are you coming with us London?" asks Cody. I didn't even realize he was here, standing next to Zack. That's probably why I didn't see him though. My mind tends to focus in on Zack and no one else when he is here.

"I would love to." London beams at Cody. "Are you sure that's okay?"

"Well, the car only seats five people. Maddie and I are two, Cody and his date are two, plus we're bringing our friend Marcus. So…" Zack says, apology evident in his voice.

"Oh…"London says, disappointment evident in her voice. Then all of a sudden, she shouts, "Idea! I'll take my new convertible."

"London," I began "Your drivers are off today, and you can't drive for your life."

"I know. That's why you're driving me! See you guys at the party!" she says, slamming the door on the twin's faces.

"London!" I say, and make a move for the door knob.

"Wait," London says. "I really _like _Cody, so I really _need _to go to this party to see if he feels the same way, so you _have _to drive me there."

"What?! Since when have you liked Cody?!" I say, astonished.

"Ssh! Not so loud! I'll tell you later." She whispers and opens the door.

"Déjà vu much?" Zack says, with a smirk. I remember the first time London shut the door on his face. Our first date…our first kiss…

"It's settled then. We'll see you guys at the party." London says firmly. Besides spending time away from Zack, I don't mind driving London. She has already done so much for me, whether it was convincing me to take a chance with Zack or letting me stay in her suite for free. I feel like I owe her way more than just a drive to a party, but London hardly ever asks me to do things for her. There's not much I _can_ do for her anyway, but I'll take every opportunity I can to repay her. The great thing about London though, is that she never lets the whole money issue get in the way of our friendship, which right now is pretty solid. I'm grateful to have a friend like her, which is why I'm happy driving her to the party tonight.

After getting into our respective cars and maneuvering through traffic, while London complains about Cody's date, we finally reach Max's house. Zack is immediately at my car door, opening it for me and taking my hand.

"Ready?" he asks me.

"Yup," I reply, heading towards the house. Zack grabs my elbow to stop me, and crouches down in front of me.

"Get on." He says. I giggle and hop onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around my waist. I rest my head on his shoulder, enjoying the smell radiating off him. I can't describe the smell, but it's my drug. It's not cologne or shampoo, it's just…Zack.

"And the piggyback is for…?" I ask curiously. It's not like the walk from the driveway to the front door is some long hike.

"Fun." Zack replies, tickling my knees that are being held up by his hands.

As soon as we enter the house, music is blaring through my ears and the thump of the bass pounds in my chest. Zack puts me down and tucks me under his arm as a group of guys approach him.

"Hey man!" one guys says, pounding him on his back. "Who's this?" he asks, eyeing me. Feeling uncomfortable, I wrap my arm around Zack's waist.

"Maddie, my girlfriend, so don't get any ideas." Zack says in a half joking, half serious voice. Half of the group looks terrified of him, while the other half congratulate him like I'm some prize. He rolls his eyes and says, "Catch you guys later!" before walking off with me.

"Who were those guys?" I ask, or more like scream, over the music once we get out of earshot from them.

"The jocks. Ignore them." Zack says possessively.

I give him a smug smile and before I can retaliate, London comes over. "Maddie, we gotta talk! Like ASAP!"

"Okay, what is it?" I ask worried.

She turns around to face Zack and says, "It's a girl thing."

"That's my cue then." Zack says, willing to do anything in his power to avoid what he considers girl stuff. "I'll get us some drinks. You gonna be okay by without me?" he asks caringly.

"Yes Zackie, I'm a big girl now." I giggle and pull him towards me. Our lips connect, immediately sending chills up and down my body. Zack deepens the kiss, much to my pleasure, and runs his hands all over my sides and back. I start fisting his hair before I decide to come up for air. Panting, I whisper in his ear, "I'm thirsty now."

"Kay…I'll go get us…drinks." Zack says, obviously dazed, as he stumbles his way to the food table. Feeling smug that I caused that reaction from him, I don't even realize London waiting impatiently behind me.

"I want that with Cody." London says sadly.

I turn my attention back to her and say, "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"Not anymore…" she says unhappily. "Right now I just want to forget about him. Let's go dancing." She says and drags me out to the dance floor.

About five songs later, some blond bimbo taps my shoulder. I turn to face her, immediately feeling inferior. She looks like one of those Victoria Secret models. "Can I help you?" I ask.

"So, are you Zack's latest toy?" she asks with narrowed eyes.

"Excuse me?" I ask. Where did that come from?

"You heard me." She says rudely.

"Not that it's any of your business," I began. "But Zack and I are in a committed relationship. Why do you want to know? You jealous or something?" I ask, enraged.

"No…I got over his charming ways when he dumped me on the phone. I just asked cause I noticed that heated kiss over there." She says, acting like the know it all she's not.

"He probably had a good reason to." I say, shaken up a bit, but not letting down. "And in any event, I don't have to worry. Zack and I have been through so much together and that's how we're gonna stay. Together."

"You've deluded yourself, just like I did when I was with him. Just turn around and see for yourself." She says, sympathy in her eyes.

I roll my eyes for the second time that night and turn around, to get away from her. The sight I see shocks me. Zack is French kissing some slutty looking girl, arms wrapped around her like they were with me a while ago. Blinking rapidly, I wish for this image to go away and end up to be a dream. But it isn't. Feeling numb all over, I walk slowly towards Zack's make-out session, hearing London's high heels behind me. I can hear her talking to me, but I can't make out any words she's saying.

"Zack?!" I screech when I approach him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"What…" he begins, looking confused.

"You know very well what Zackary Martin!" I scream. "Will you look at me damn it?!"

"Oh my gosh, shut up." The slut on his arm says. "He's done with you now. Leave us alone."

"Do you really want her instead of me?!" I yell. Zack just looks at the floor, sweat starting to form on his forehead from nervousness.

"Let's go to the bedroom now Zackie." The cheap girl says.

"Kay…sweet thang." Zack says between breaths. That does it for me. I give Zack a huge slap on his cheek before stomping out of the house. Tears are blurring my vision as I sit in the driver's seat of the convertible. I lean my head on the steering wheel, feeling my heart shatter into a thousand pieces. I feel used, but more than that I feel like an idiot. How could I be stupid enough to think Zack could give up his player ways just like that?

I hear the car passenger door open and close, as somebody sits down besides me. A glimmer of hope courses through me, but immediately dissolves when I see that London came after me, not Zack. She puts her arms around me, and rocks us back and forth a little for a couple of minutes. "Maybe he thought that girl was you? It was pretty dark in there." London suggests.

"Don't make excuses for him." I say coldly. "I need to get out of here." I say, before driving away from the house. I end up doing loops around the house for fifteen minutes before I get fed up and shut off the car. I hear sirens in the background getting louder and louder, adding to the headache I have. How am I ever going to find my way out of here? If I past that house one more time, I'll scream. I don't need to be reminded of that two-timing jerk called Zack anymore. After sitting in the car for who knows how long my phone rings. I pick it up, without even bothering to look at the caller I.D.

"Hello?" I say in a weak voice.

"Maddie, thank goodness! Where are you?!" Cody screams into the phone.

"I'm down the street. If you're calling me about Zack, then just hang up now." I say, not meaning to sound so harsh.

"Look, I don't know what's going on with you guys, but a fire started in Max's house! Everybody is running from the house and I can't find Zack! They firemen won't let me look for him! It's getting bad! Come back!" Cody yells, and I can practically see the tears streaming down his cheeks as I hear his sobs through the phone.

**Hey guys!!! I know its been FOREVER (3 weeks) since I've updated and I am REALLY sorry for that. My grades have been slipping and I needed to focus on school and stuff. I really hope this chapter makes up for it and I will be writing many chapters over spring break which is 2 weeks away! Please please please REVIEW!!! Love ya always:) **

**To Kristina:**

** I miss your reviews SO much! They always made me smile:) I hope you are still reading this story!!!**


	24. Hurt Once More

**Hurt Once More**

"_Look, I don't know what's going on with you guys, but a fire started in Max's house! Everybody is running from the house and I can't find Zack! They firemen won't let me look for him! It's getting bad! Come back!" Cody yells, and I can practically see the tears streaming down his cheeks as I hear his sobs through the phone. _

It takes me what seems like hours before I can comprehend the words "Zack", "fire", and "can't find" in the same sentence. In reality though, it's only seconds before my body goes into automatic mode, driving my car towards the sirens. Relying only on my sense of hearing to locate Max's house is unnerving in this predicament. Although my brain and body seem to understand what is going on and how to proceed, the idea of Zack trapped in a burning building has not yet seeped into my mind to make me understand the enormity of this situation. My shaking hands and pounding head can only focus on one thing at a time, and right now that is to find Maxine Montgomery's house! And fast! I can faintly hear London's questioning speech, but I tune her out to focus completely on the sounds of the sirens. Each second spent wondering and worrying about Zack and his location in the fire, makes my stomach uneasy and nauseous.

London's questions of what is going on with me stop abruptly as we park on the street to the side of the house. I stare at the burning building and the smoke rising so high above the roof, unable to turn away for even a second. Two fire trucks are parked in front of Max's house, one in the driveway and one resorting to pulling up on the grass. Many high school students are being pushed back by several firefighters, although most of the emergency force is inside the burning building, looking for stranded people, while trying to eliminate the flames. I quickly rush out of the car and run at full speed towards the blazing building. Along the way, I spot a small group of kids being checked out for injuries and other complications. Among this group of kids is Cody, looking thoroughly shaken.

Grateful for a familiar face, I approach Cody and desperately say, "Please tell me they've found him."

Cody's voice is hoarse as he answers solemnly, "No…I-I don't know what to do. I feel so useless just sitting here, while my brother could possibly be burning to…"

Sudden determination sweeps over my body, turning me from a nervous wreck to a brave amazon. The firefighters are plenty busy with the multitude of tasks on their hands, so I am able to deftly approach a side door. The fire seems much less severe here, which draws me to the conclusion that the fire must have been started in a different part of the house. But where? Leaving the questions for later pondering, I grasp the warm door handle and am about to place my foot down on the living room floor where I was dancing what seems like minutes ago when I'm grabbed by strong hands from behind. As I'm being turned around, my hope immediately rises with the possibility that Zack's arms are the ones around me. That wish becomes quickly expelled as I turn around and see an intense-looking firefighter.

"What in the world are you doing?! Do you have a death wish or something?!' he shouts, obviously miffed. "We are trying our hardest to get people out of the house and you have the insane desire to enter? Do you not see the flames?! The firetrucks?!"

"My boyfriend is in there somewhere!" I respond back with equal ferocity. I internally cringe at the fact that Zack is no longer in a relationship with me, but don't show it. I frantically try to pass the uniformed man, but it ends up being a useless attempt.

Cody appears beside me and as soon as the firefighter sees him he says, "Would you mind making sure this young lady doesn't approach the house? It is extremely dangerous and would only end up distracting us from our jobs."

Cody nods at the man at drags me towards where he was sitting before, while I plot my next attempt at saving the love of my life. No matter how much Zack hurt me tonight, it is undeniable that my love for him will continue long after whatever the outcome of this night is. As I sit down on a tree trunk defeated, feelings of regret, sorrow, and hopelessness surge through my veins. These feelings bring me back to the day that Zack got shot by Brad, and I had no idea how he was going to come out of it. To escape these memories, I stand up once more to protest before another firefighter emerges from the flaming house with a body in his hands.

"We've got another one!" the courageous man shouts, before laying the young man he was carrying down with medical personnel and returning to his work. I immediately recognize Zack's blonde hair, distinct against the soot on his head and face. I don't know whether to drop to my knees in relief and cry or carry myself towards him. Going with the second option, I sprint faster than I ever have towards Zack.

I hear Cody and London behind me, watching as a lady tries to assess Zack's injuries. "Can you open your eyes for me, sweetie?" the woman asks a seemingly unconscious Zack.

Zack slowly opens his eyes, squinting as he tries to follow the light of a mini-flashlight being shined at him. His eyes…I don't know what I would do if I couldn't gaze into them everyday. Even from afar, they pierce with such intensity and pureness that it's impossible not to get lost in them. "Ugh…" Zack groans and even this simple sound sends butterflies soaring in my stomach. It's from the relief that Zack is okay, I tell myself, unconvincingly. In reality, I'm cherishing the fact that I get to her his voice.

"What is your name honey?" asks the lady as she puts a stethoscope to her ears.

"Zack. And yours?" Zack replies with a wink, back to his normal, flirtatious self.

"Donna," the woman chuckles. "It's obvious that your seeing isn't too great right now, but that should clear up in no time." I have to agree with the conclusion of Zack's poor eyesight. Since when has Zack been known to flirt with middle-aged women?! Wow, he must really be desperate to get out my clutches, I think solemnly, before making myself focus on the scene in front of me. "But if it doesn't in a couple of minutes you let me know, okay? Now, I need you to take a few deep breaths for me please."

Zack complies, and Donna says, "Well, that shallow breathing is definitely not helping matters." After using a tongue depressor and the small flashlight to look down Zack's throat, she places an oxygen mask over Zack's mouth. Then she places two fingers against his wrist, before turning towards us. "Who are you, may I ask?" she questions politely.

"I'm Zack's brother." Cody responds immediately, his face etched with concern. "Is he going to be alright?"

"His eyesight isn't the best, but he did just wake up from unconsciousness, which explains that. His breathing was shallow and his heart rate was slow, which can be fixed by this oxygen mask. Since I found no constrictions, smoke, or any other substance in his throat, I can give him the clear to go home. Just check on him frequently throughout the next 24 hours." Donna finishes and pats Zack's cheek before moving onto the next troubled teenager.

"You can leave now if you want Maddie," Cody says to me, while helping Zack sit up.

"Actually um…would you find if I drove him home?" I ask, the words spilling out of my mouth before I have a chance to stop them. Even though I am mad beyond belief at Zack for cheating on me, I hate leaving him. Especially when he just escaped a burning building. I know that sounds pathetic, but I need him.

After he pulls off the oxygen mask, Zack proclaims in a rough voice, "I wanna go with Maddie." Those dang butterflies return.

"Okay then Zackster," Cody says, and I can't help but small smile at his cute nickname. Cody puts Zack's arm around his shoulders and hoists him up to his feet. Zack attempts to walk to the car on his own, but soon stumbles and almost crashes to the ground before Cody has the chance to grab him. "What's going on Zack?" Cody asks, worried.

"I'm just a little dizzy, that's all," Zack says, and I wonder if he's trying to down play how he's feeling. It wouldn't be the first time. Cody helps Zack to the passenger seat of London's car, buckling him up, and closing the car door. "I'm not totally incapable." Zack murmurs, with a smirk at Cody's help.

Since London's car has only two seats, I ask Cody if he will bring London home and he happily agrees. London is going to love me for this. I get into the car and before I know it, we're heading back towards the Tipton Hotel. For half of the ride, Zack and I sit in silence. I just can't bring myself to say anything to him, although I keep glancing at Zack through my peripheral vision. He's leaning his head against the window and his eyes are closed, which makes me believe that he's sleeping. I get mad at myself for insisting that I drive him home, but can't even talk to him.

After a couple more minutes, Zack surprises me by saying, "Maddie could drive better please?!"

Does he really have the nerve to criticize my driving right now? I turn my head towards him, ready to let him have it, when I notice Zack looking a little pale. "Hey Zack, what's going on?" I ask worriedly.

He groans and says, "I don't feel well."

"Hang on," I reply. "We're almost there." That earns me another groan from Zack.

Once we get to the Tipton, I walk around to Zack's side and open his door. For the first time in probably his whole life, Zack doesn't resist help. When we get into the elevator, he leans against the wall behind us. I notice that his hands are shaking slightly and little tremors are washing over his body. "Are you okay Zack?" I ask, wondering if he's coming down with something.

"I'm fine…just tired." Zack replies with his eyes closed.

I take his pass from his back pocket when we arrive at his suite, and walk to his room. Right before I'm about to help him into his bed, he passes out, probably from exhaustion. I mean, he just escaped a fire; he's bound to be tired. When I get him all settled in his bed, I look at his face, wiping hair away from his eyes. I try to bury the way I feel when I look at his face and stop all the memories we've had in his room before they can hurt me some more.

NEXT DAY

Well, here I am, at the candy counter working once again. I struggle to keep my eyes open, since I didn't get any sleep at all last night. London talked to me all night about her drive home with Cody, but I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway, because all I could think about was Zack. Speaking of the devil, he comes out of the elevator doors and unfortunately heads towards the candy counter. His eyes look bloodshot and he looks a little tired, but other than that he appears fine.

"Hey Maddie," Zack says with a playful smirk.

"What would you like?" I ask, keeping my voice emotionless.

"You," Zack smiles and hops onto the candy counter. Rage courses through me and I push him off, making him collide with a plant. How could he treat me like nothing happened last night?

"Hey, what's wrong Maddie?" Zack asks, seeming concerned.

"Right now," I reply. "You."

"What did I do?" Zack asks, looking hurt. My heart twists a little when I see his puppy dog eyes. Suddenly, hurting his feelings seems like a terrible thing to do no matter what he did to me. I almost apologize, but decide to answer his question instead.

"Oh I don't know…" I reply with a fake nonchalance. "Maybe it was the fact that you cheated on me with some hoe?!"

"WHAT?!" Zack replies, looking horrified. Wow, I never knew that he was a good actor. "Who told you something like that?!"

"YOU!" I shout, getting looks from guests around the lobby. Zack looks taken back a moment. I seize the opportunity and say, "Don't play innocent with me Zack. You can't just call some other girl sweet thang and go to the bedroom with her and then expect me to be fine with you the next day."

Confusion sweeps across Zack's face before he replies, "I never did those things."

"Wow, you're incredible. I never realized how big of a jerk you are. Thanks for leading me on like that." I reply and place the closed sign on top of the candy counter. I need to get out of here before I explode.

"I…I'm not leading you on Maddie. I love you." Zack proclaims in an innocent voice.

I let out of deep breath of air before I say, "Apparently not."

"What makes you say that?" Zack asks desperately, while I start heading towards the front doors.

"Have you not been listening to word I've been saying?!" I yell, exasperated. This whole innocent act is really getting old. Suddenly, I remember London saying how everyone on Facebook was talking about the fire at Max's party last night. Everyone came out okay, but they keep talking about Zack's hookup. "Look, if you don't believe me, just look at anyone's Facebook. I'm sure they're all talking about how someone finally laid the infamous Zack Martin!"

"I've never slept with anyone!" Zack shouts, looking furious and upset.

Reaching my boiling point, I pick up a vase filled with flowers and water from a nearby table and pour it on top of Zack's head. Finished with this conversation, I leave the Tipton. I run to my car and speed away from the hotel, tears blurring my vision. I don't want to cry over him anymore, but it's inevitable. Realizing that I'm driving mindlessly through the streets, I think of where I should go. I can't go back to the Tipton right now and I definitely can't go to my parent's house. That leaves only one option; _my_ secret hideout.

**HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII EVERYBODY!!! Here's the next chapter!!!! This story will be over by chapter 30, but don't be fooled!!! A lot can happen in five chapters!! I will right I sequel if people want me to when it's over. Anyway, please review. **

**Kristina: Thanks for the review!!!! And I do think that I have a few surprises that you don't expect still coming!! You're reviews NEVER bore me ;) There's no such thing as a boring review. My email is **** if you need it. Btw, I got grounded by my mom too. That's why it took so long to get this chapter out. Lol! **

**Marium: I'm glad that you like the twist!!!! Thanks for the review:) **

**Sararawrr: Thanks sooo much for the review!! Maybe it was an accident…*cough cough*. I can't say anything though!! You just gotta read and find out:) Lol. **


	25. Confusions and Questions

Confusions and Questions

_Reaching my boiling point, I pick up a vase filled with flowers and water from a nearby table and pour it on top of Zack's head. Finished with this conversation, I leave the Tipton. I run to my car and speed away from the hotel, tears blurring my vision. I don't want to cry over him anymore, but it's inevitable. Realizing that I'm driving mindlessly through the streets, I think of where I should go. I can't go back to the Tipton right now and I definitely can't go to my parent's house. That leaves only one option; __my__ secret hideout._

Practically shaking with anger, I pull away from the Tipton in my beat down, little car. Driving to my safe spot is like a natural instinct; I don't have to think twice about it. I hardly even notice when I finally reach my destination. I quickly get out of the car and walk a few yards to my safe haven.

I sit on a large rock as I take in my surroundings. I'm surrounded by trees, which have grown in an almost perfect circle, leaving the middle clear. This rock where I sit now was where I first escaped life due to my parent's arguing. Normal people would probably think that being in a small forest in the middle of the night is terrifying, but I find the quiet peaceful and safe.

Flashbacks of my relationship with Zack replay unwillingly through my mind over and over again. Numbness courses over my body, which I welcome gratefully. Anything is better than the pain of treachery. How could Zack do that to me? Is he like how all the girls say he is? Wanting the chase only? And I finally gave in and not only lost the love of my life, but my best friend as well. There is no way I could ever talk, let alone look at Zack the same way ever again. I thought he would at least have the decency to end a relationship before starting another…but I guess I don't know him as well as I thought I did.

I don't know how long I sat on that rock, repeating the same questions over and over again in my head and never getting answers. It could have been minutes, hours, or days for all I know. But when I finally decided to go home and attempt sleep, I could see the light of day barely starting to peek out from the horizon, reminding me how tired I was. My mom, no matter how much I despise her now, always gave me the good advice to never drive when you're exhausted. That's how she lost my uncle. I pull out my phone and impulsively hold the number one down, speed dialing.

"Hello?" Zack's frantic voice sounds after the first ring.

Pain pierces through my body as I hear his sweet, melodic voice. I was so sleepy that didn't realize I was calling Zack. Calling him when I need a ride or help with anything was something I did even before we started dating. Breaking that habit is going to be hard, but it has to be done.

Which is why I hung up the phone.

My phone started ringing again, flashing up Zack's caller ID, seconds later as I knew it would. Ignoring it, I get in my car and drive back to the Tipton reluctantly. I really don't want to see Zack, but I have my shift to do. My phone rang fifteen minutes straight, since Zack kept recalling. The stupid tune soon got on my nerves, so I turned off my phone to ride the rest of the way to the Tipton in peace.

After another fifteen minutes, I enter the Tipton and take my place behind the candy counter. Luckily Mr. Moseby isn't here, so I won't have to explain my lateness, though he probably has already noticed. As expected, Zack comes out of the elevator minutes later. He must have seen my car pull up.

He's carrying a box of candies and a bouquet of roses. Oh boy.

"Hey sw-…Maddie." Zack says quietly. "These are for you."

"Yeah Zack," I reply bitterly. "Like I really need candy, while I'm working at the candy counter!"

"Oh, those aren't for you." Zack says, handing me the roses, while keeping the box of candies.

Rolling my eyes, I respond, "Who are they for then? Your new plaything?"

"No! They're for…" Zack says, and an unrecognizable look crosses his face before he covers it up. "Forget it."

I turn away from him and pretend to restock some shelves as Zack says, "I came to apologize."

"For what?" I ask, spinning back to him.

"I…for hurting you Maddie." He replies with sincerity.

"And how did you hurt me?" I ask icily, wanting him to admit it out loud.

Zack looks at me for a few moments for replying, "I honestly don't know. I promise you that I didn't cheat-"

I hold a finger up, making Zack instantly stop talking. "It's okay Zack. I get it. You were just using me until you get lay the next girl."

"Listen to yourself!" Zack says, finally showing some emotion. "That doesn't make any sense. We didn't even do anything!"

"Oh, so now you're saying our whole relationship didn't mean anything to you?" I say, fuming but keeping my cool.

"No! That's not what-" Zack says before I cut him off.

"Leave me alone." I say and then put up the closed sign before walking away from him.

* * *

After I finish my shift, luckily with no interruptions from Zack, I go up to London's suite. When I get to the door, I notice a sheet of paper on the ground.

_Dear Maddie, _

_ Before you burn this in the fireplace, please listen to what I have to say. I love you more than anything or anyone in the world. You have to believe me. I've been smitten with you since the moment I saw you when I entered the Tipton five years ago. Nothing will ever change that. When I saw you crying yesterday, it tore me up inside. Especially since, somehow, I was the cause of it. I would do anything to make you feel better. Just tell me what that is, and I'll do it. I love you more than life itself sweet thang. I don't know how to help though, because I don't know what I did wrong. I know you don't believe that, and I would think the same thing if I were you. but please, PLEASE hear me out. I want you, and only you Maddie. No matter how many times you may reject me or dump water on my head, I won't give up trying to show that to you. I want to fix whatever I did wrong. I need to fix this. And I need your help._

_ With all my love,_

_ Zack _

With that hit below the belt, I enter my room and jump under the covers on my bed.

* * *

I've been thinking about Zack's letter all day. I practically have it memorized. He hasn't bothered me all day, probably waiting for me to come to him. What if he's telling the truth? But how can you not know when you cheat on someone? I mean, really, come on. It's not rocket science. Anger makes me see red once again as I end my shift at the candy counter and go to London's suite.

London's been really supportive of me throughout this whole process. She's even given up on her shopping sprees to stay home with me and watch movies, while we eat ice cream. I think Cody has really changed London for the better. She's still her fun, quirky self, but she treats people better. I would never want London to stop her new relationship with Cody just because Zack and I are not on speaking terms. She has been on a few dates with Cody since the fire, but has mostly stayed home to take care of me. I feel guilty, but I'm too selfish to tell her to go out and have fun. Besides, I've overhead conversations between Carey and Mr. Moseby on how Cody has his hands full with Zack, even more than London is busy with me, since they are twins and all.

When I enter the suite, London already has the movie menu screen on and two tubs of ice cream with spoons on the coffee table. I smile, gratefully and sit down next to her on the couch. I begin to lose myself in the movie soon after. The movies London and I watch are strictly horror or action, with zero romance. I'm not ready for that yet. I know. I'm pathetic.

About mid-way through the movie, I start to hear some muffled sounds in the hall. I look at London, and she looks back at me just as confused.

"I'm going to go check it out." I say, happily taking any distraction handed my way. I open the door moments later and the sight takes my breath away for a moment.

Zack is standing on the other side of the door, strumming a guitar. Just when I think my ears couldn't hear any better sound, he starts to sing:

**Oh I had alot to say  
Was thinking on my time away  
I miss you and things weren't the same  
'Cause everything inside it never comes out right  
And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die.**

I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry I'm blue  
I'm sorry about all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds  
And baby the way you make my world go 'round  
And I just wanted to say I'm sorry.

This time I think I'm to blame  
It's harder to get through the days  
We get older and blame turns to shame  
'Cause everything inside it never comes out right  
And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die.

I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry I'm blue  
I'm sorry about all the things I said to you  
[ Sorry lyrics found on .com ]  
And I know I can't take it back  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds  
And baby the way you make my world go 'round  
And I just wanted to say I'm sorry.

Every single day I think about how we came all this way  
The sleepless nights and the tears you cried  
It's never too late to make it right  
Oh yeah Sorry!

I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry I'm blue  
I'm sorry about all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds  
And baby the way you make my world go 'round  
And I just wanted to say I'm sorry.  
I'm sorry baby.  
I'm sorry baby.  
I'm sorry.

Tears spill over onto my cheeks, although I will myself not to cry. His voice was so beautiful, so heartfelt, so…indescribable. My brain isn't thinking properly as I see him set down his guitar and slowly walk towards me. Or at least that's my excuse as I let him envelope me in the tightest, most comforting hug he's ever given me. My heart clenches as I inhale his familiar, comforting scent that's so indescribably Zack. Just like my nose, my body recognizes his presence. I feel so complete holding him in my arms; like two puzzle pieces fitting together. I hold him tighter and wish we could just escape to an alternate universe and forget this whole thing. But when I open my eyes, I realize that can't happen. And I had to do the most painful thing I've ever had to do in my entire life.

I released him from my hold and closed the door on him.

* * *

I stare at my alarm clock and wait for it to start beeping. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. Zack is really messing up my sleeping patterns. Right at seven a.m. it starts blaring, and I quickly turn it off. Not ready for another day, I get up and dressed. I open front door of the suite and close it behind me. As soon as I start walking, I trip over something hard, sending me flying to the ground.

I look to the object of my clumsiness and see Zack, sleeping on the hallway floor with a blanket curled messily around his legs. He must have stayed here all night, waiting for me. I start to feel guilty as I see him slightly shivering. I pick up the blanket and bring it up to his chin; thinking of the major neck ache he'll have when wakes up. I can't wake him up now and tell him to go back to his bed though, since he'd want to talk to me again. It's way too early in the morning for me to start crying. I stroke his soft, thick hair before willing myself to leave him and go the candy counter.

Once I exit the elevator, I see Cody waiting at the candy counter.

"What's up?" I say in a raspy voice.

"We need to talk." He replies sternly.

"About what?" I feign ignorance, already knowing what his subject of discussion will be this morning.

"Zack," he says. Before I can object, he says, "Something's wrong."

**HIIIIIIIIIII EVERYBODY!!!! Sorry that it has been SO long since I've updated!!! I know it's been weeks, but I've had so many tests and this stupid term paper that has kept me up till two in the morning every night. Ugh! But I really am SOOO sorry for the lack of update. Forgive me? I'm really excited about this story though. So excited, that I might, just might, even update again tonight or tomorrow. How does that sound? I would REALLY LOVE it if I could get at least ten reviews before I update though. There's major drama coming up!! The song that Zack sang is called Sorry by Buckcherry.**

**To Kristina: **

** Haha, I know. Our communication is epic. Thanks SO SO SO much for the review! I loved it. I love keeping people guessing on what's happening next. Builds up the suspense. I'm 80% sure that I'm going to do a sequel. I love your dedication to this story (the whole memorizing thing) haha. It really flatters me. My spring break was good, but way too short. Sorry to hear about your spring break! Summer's right around the corner though! **


	26. Stop and Go

Stop and Go 

_"Zack," he says. Before I can object, he says, "Something's wrong."_

My body goes into automatic mode as I run towards the elevators, pushing the up button again and again. "What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"Maddie," Cody says as he takes my hand away from the elevator button. "He's not hurt…well physically that is. We need to talk though."

I somewhat unwillingly let Cody take my hand and lead me towards the empty ballroom. He sits us down on some empty chairs and lets out a huge breath. After a couple of silent moments, I look up into Cody's face to ask what's wrong. His face betrays emotions of pain, hurt, and sadness. Unable to handle the suspense, I finally ask, "What's up Cody?"

"I'm…I'm not even sure how to…the thing is…" Cody stumbles for words, which I've never seen happen before. Cody's usually so self-assured and confident in anything that he says. "What I have to tell you is really…hard to put into words, but I'll try the best I can."

"Sure…" I say slowly. After more moments of silence I exclaim, "Please, what is going on?"

After letting out another large breath of air, Cody says, "I was in our suite when the doorbell rang. When I answered it the girl Zack made out with at the party, Kelly, was there. She, being the dumb bimbo that she is, thought I was Zack and started to talk about what a great time she had at the party…well before the fire that is." I unintentionally winced at the memory of not knowing whether Zack was stuck in that burning house or not. "Well, I was curious as to how she was able to get Zack to cheat on you with her, since I knew how devoted he is to you." I snort at that one.

"Anyway," Cody continues "She got to talking about how her friend gave her some "snowflakes" that could make anybody hers."

With a questioning look, I say, "I'm confused."

"As was I," Cody carries on. "So I asked her what she was talking about. She told me her friend told her to put them in drinks to make them "yummy". So I went online and did some research. I already had an inkling about she was talking about, and my research just proved my theories…unfortunately. Maddie…she gave Zack gamma hydroxybutyric acid."

"English please?" I sigh, not liking where this is going.

"GHB." Cody replies.

"Come again?" I ask, starting to get exasperated now.

"GHB is what people call a…date rape drug." Cody sneaks a peek at me, gauging my reaction to this information. To say that I'm socked is an understatement, but for now, I'm trying to remain as passive as possible, hoping to wake up from this bad dream soon. "It makes people experience all the symptoms Zack had. We just overlooked them because we thought that they were in reaction to the fire. More importantly though, they make a person unaware of what they are doing or what they did while under the influence of this drug. This is why Zack doesn't remember cheating on you! It wasn't him Maddie. It was the drug along with the persuasion of a manipulative girl! We got lucky though…" he finishes. I stare at him bewildered. How does he consider this lucky? "If Zack had too much…well…he might not be here right now." Cody chokes out.

Oh…

I start pinching my arm hard over and over again, which earns me a puzzled look from Cody.

"Oh," I say, answering his unspoken question. "I'm just waiting to wake up. Any minute now, I'll be conscious again and waking up in Zack's arms."

"This isn't a dream," Cody says angrily.

I put my head in my hands in shame and sadness. How could I not know this happened to him? I'm the WORST girlfriend ever. Zack has always supported me, no matter what I went through. He's been there these past couple of months, especially since moving out of my parent's house. And the one time he needs me to believe in him and love him more than ever before, I don't, because I'm too caught up in my jealously and insecurities to see that he was telling me the truth! "Does he know?" I ask in a quiet, feeble voice.

"No…" Cody whispers. "I thought you should tell him."

"Wait," I say suddenly, a thought occurring to me. "Something doesn't make sense. The other day he gave me flowers, but said the box of chocolates he had were for someone else, which must mean that he's been seeing this Kelly behind my back ever since the fire, long after the effects of the drug were out of his system."

"Those weren't for Kelly." Cody says, assuredly.

I let out a dramatic sigh, "Oh great. _Another_ women for me to worry about."

"Let's go. I've got to show you something." Cody exclaims, getting up from the table and walking towards the parking garage. When we get there, he says, "Let's take your car."

"Where are we going?" I say, exasperated. "Where's your car?"

"Zack's got it. I'll drive." He says determinedly, hoping into the driver's seat and starting the car. I quickly get in the passenger seat and buckle up before he drives off without me. I've decided to remain silent for this ride, needing to think over what Cody told me in the ballroom. Guilt washes over me like a ton of bricks, but I'm not going to make this situation about me and my silly feelings. It's time that I just focus on Zack's needs and happiness. I know that he puts me first and now it's my turn to do the same.

When the car stops and Cody shuts off the engine, I look up. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the hospital. I thought Cody told me Zack wasn't hurt? With fearful eyes, I hurriedly unbuckle my seat belt and jump out of the car.

"Maddie slow down!" Cody yells, running quickly after me and into the hospital. Apparently reading my mind, he says, "He isn't hurt, but he is here. Follow me."

Confounded, I follow him down the long hallways, turning left and right over and over again. Finally, Cody halts and points towards a hospital room on the other side of the hall. We approach it slowly, but when we get there, my eyes rapidly try to understand the scene in front of me.

Zack is sitting on the end of a hospital bed, holding a video game controller, while his eyes are fixated to the television screen in front of him. Lying on the bed, in a white hospital gown, is a boy who looks no older than six. His arm is hooked up to an IV, but nonetheless also has a video game controller in his hand. Seeming so engrossed in the game, it's hard to see that he's sick at first glance, but upon closer expectation it's impossible to ignore the deathly pale skin and tired looking eyes he has. Wanting to take my eyes off of his weak form, I glance around the room. Of course, a box of candies, the ones I thought Zack were giving to Kelly, were lying open on a nearby table, with half of the chocolates eaten.

"I don't know what's wrong with him. Zack won't tell me. The only reason why I know about him is because I followed Zack one time when I was sick of him hogging the car all the time and wanted to know where he was always jetting off to. Now that I know why he is though, I can't find it in myself to care." Cody says softly.

Suddenly, the mysterious, young boy starts into a hacking coughing fit. Seeing this, Zack quickly pauses the video game and gets off the hospital bed. He grabs an oxygen mask that's sitting next to the box of candies and silently puts it over the boy's face. He presses the button for a nurse, while holding the coughing boy, rubbing small circles over his back and running a hand through his hair. The young boy is gripping Zack's shirt tightly in a small fist in pain, although he seems to be breathing a little bit better. Just then, a nurse enters the room and starts fiddling around with various medical equipment. Zack takes this as his cue to leave, as he gets up and leaves the room, but not before taking part in some extravagant, secret handshake that the young boy can only do half heartedly due to his current condition.

My heart quickens at the sight of him when he enters the hallway. When he looks up, his eyes immediately lock onto mine. When he realizes what I saw, he looks down at the floor and then back up at Cody in a glare. "Why did you bring her here?" Zack asks lowly, hating vulnerability.

"I…wanted to know what the candies were for." I explain with a small voice, feeling badly for not trusting Zack.

"Well, now you know." Zack says sharply before taking off in a brisk walk towards the parking lot.

Cody and I follow, and when he gets to his car I shout, "Zack wait! I just saw something very personal, a side of you that I've never known. I'd like to return the favor."

After a few moments, Zack places his keys into my outstretched hand. It feels like something more than keys that Zack is giving me, like trust or love.

Once we say our good-byes to Cody, we hop into the car and I start off towards the place that I've never shown anyone before. I can see Zack struggling to hold in his questions during our drive. Looking at his face for the duration of every red light we come across, I wonder how I ever got lucky enough to have this man enter my life, to love me even. The look in his pure blue eyes is one of innocence and kindness, not the same as when he was drugged. I should have noticed that change before, but I was too caught up in my emotions to see. I'm going to try my hardest to make that up to him though.

I park the car once we get to my secret hiding spot and began walking towards the little forest. Without question, Zack follows closely behind me. We enter the little circle of trees and I motion for Zack to sit next to me on the large rock.

"This is where I go when I'm upset. Whether its fights with my parents or just stress in my life in general, this place always seems to be able to keep me calm. I've never shown this to anyone, afraid they'd know exactly where to find me when I didn't want to be found, but I want you to see where I go to think. It may not seem like a big deal, but…for me it is." I say slowly, while gazing into his eyes, which hold no judgment in them.

"Thanks for trusting me enough to share this with me. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the kid in the hosital before…his name isMathew." Zack whispers with sadness in his eyes.

"I understand." I say, stroking his hair. Now for the hard part. "I need to talk to you about something. I really need you to listen to this okay?"

Zack nods seriously.

"Cody had a talk with me earlier today. The girl who you kissed at the party-"

Zack interrupts me by saying, "Maddie I swear to you I didn't kiss anybody."

"This girl, Kelly, came over to your suite and thought that you were Cody. Cody got her into talking and well…" I let out a large puff of air, acting the same way Cody did earlier. "I'm just going to come right out and say this. She…she dr-drugged you with GHB, which is basically a… date rape drug. That's why you didn't remember kissing Kelly."

I change my stare from the mossy ground to his face, anxious of his reaction to the news. When I catch a glimpse of him, his face is void of emotion. Acting just as I did. Then he startles me by quickly jumping up from his sitting position on the rock and revealing the true anger hidden behind his false façade. His breathing turns fast and heavy as he heads towards a tree and starts hitting it with his bare hands. Seeing the cuts and blood already making their appearance, I swiftly run up behind him and grab his wrists, making him stop automatically.

He turns around to me, and grabs my face gently with both of his hands before leaning his forehead against mine. I put my arms around my panting Zack and rack my brain for anything comforting to say at the moment. "It's okay Zack. Well, it's not okay, but _we _are going to be okay. What happened wasn't anyone's fault."

"How can you say that?" Zack questions, breaking our embrace to stare openly at me with furious eyes. For a minute, I thought he was going to blame me for not knowing sooner, but like always he does the complete opposite of what I expect. "I'm the one who dragged you into my messed up life. It kills me inside when I see you upset or heartbroken, and I'm the cause of it. Whatever anyone else does, it's my responsibility to make sure you feel loved and happy. And right now, I'm doing a pretty crappy job at that."

"Zack," I begin. "That's not-"

"You deserve so much better than me." Zack announces in a quiet voice.

"No," I say firmly, grabbing his face like he did to me earlier. "Don't ever say that. If anything, it's the other way around. You are the sweetest and most genuine person I know. I love every part of you, no matter how drama filled your life is. Heck, I'm not one to talk about drama filled lives. I accept and love who are and where you come from, just like you do with me."

Zack stares at me for what could possibly be ten minutes straight. His face first shows understanding, then sadness, and finally, determination.

"We can't be together any more Maddie. It's hurting you, and I won't let that happen. Your wellbeing is worth more to me than anything…which is why I have to let you go, as painful as it is. You'll thank me for this one day." Zack exclaims with sadness evident in his voice.

His words break my heart into pieces all over again. Just as it was about to be mended again. But there's no time for sadness or hopelessness right now. I need to fight.

"I can choose who I want to be with and I can handle anything life throws at us. Don't I get a say in all this?" I ask with anger in my voice to keep out my obvious despair.

Zack simply utters, "No." before walking away from my secret hiding place.

**Hey hey everyone! Only two weeks for this update! The reason for the lack of update is because I've got exams coming up, along with a term paper, a research project, and an English essay. I'm SWAMPED! But it will all be over by June 9****th****, and then I'll be freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (fyi, that means more frequent updates). As always, pretty please leave a review. It always makes my stressful day better****. **


	27. The Four Stages

The Four Stages

_Zack simply utters, "No." before walking away from my secret hiding place._

**Denial. The first stage of grieving over a loss. **

"Don't you dare walk away from me mister." I say menacingly, following Zack towards his car. He gets into his car robotically before rolling down the window. "I'm not getting in there." I say stubbornly.

Zack leans his head out of the window and pleads, "Maddie, I really don't want to drag you in here, but I will if I have to."

I contemplate the situation for a moment. There is absolutely no way that I can outrun Zack, let alone fight back when he reaches me. Keeping my head high and trying to maintain some sort of dignity, I huff and sit down next to Zack before he starts driving us back towards the Tipton.

"Look Zack," I begin, "I understand this whole situation came as a shock to you, but don't end a perfect relationship because of it. You're just giving them what they want."

Zack chuckles darkly and sarcastically says, "Yeah, real perfect. What with the guns and drugs and all."

I wince at the memory of the gunshot. I should have known he wasn't over that; neither of us is.

"Please just respect my decision." Zack begs in a pained voice. "This is hard enough already."

"No, no, this isn't happening." I murmur, dropping my head onto my hands. "You can't do this. You wouldn't hurt me like this."

"I'm doing this so I _don't_ hurt you anymore Maddie." Zack responds coldly.

The rest of the car ride is spent in silence.

When we pull into the Tipton parking lot, I'm still trying to fathom the idea of not being Zack's girlfriend. I can't even begin to imagine what my pathetic life would be like, so I don't. Zack takes my hand and on numb legs we walk towards the elevators. Realizing this might possibly be the last physical contact I have with him for a while, I grip his hand hard and stare directly at his face. Zack refuses to make eye contact with me though.

When we make it to London's suite, the realization of what he's doing begins to dawn on me. With tears falling rapidly down my cheeks, I hold his t-shirt in a vice grip and cry, "No, no, no, no, _no_, NO!"

While I'm continuing with my hysterical chants of disapproval, Zack struggles to release my hands from his shirt. He takes his pass key from his pocket and opens the suite door and walks inside, with me still gripping onto him for dear life. Finally unclasping my hands from him, he quickly leaves the suite. Before he closes the door behind him, I hear him mutter, "Sorry."

**

* * *

**

**Depression. The second stage of grieving over a loss. **

After having London call in "sick" for me to Mr. Moseby, I return to my dark bedroom. I flop facedown onto my bed and pull the covers over my head. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night and have already gone through three boxes of tissues. Starting on my fourth box, I let the tears fall down relentlessly.

I feel an indent on the bed next to me and an arm wrapping around me. I lean into the comfort London is giving me, thankful for the contact. London brushes my hair with her hand, while I hiccup onto her designer jeans. Flashbacks of Zack cuddling me in this same bed come back to me, increasing the pain I already feel is unbearable. I gently push London away and scream into my pillow.

This cycle continued for the rest of the week.

**

* * *

**

**Anger. The third stage of grieving over a loss. **

After a pathetic week of crying into my pillow, I feel ready to continue my life. As the candy counter girl. I dress myself in the familiar uniform and after attempting to look fairly decent, I exit my room and get my morning coffee from the kitchen.

I sit down at the table and start sipping away. I search through the various magazines and try to find something that interests me. Something catches my eye, and when I pick it up I realize it was the card Zack gave me for our four month anniversary.

After re-reading it I say, "Yeah, love you too jerk." I take what's left of my coffee and dump it onto the small card, not caring about the mess I've just made. I stand up and make my way towards the living room, anxious to get away from anything involving Zack. That doesn't work so well when I realize pictures of Zack and I surround the room.

I quickly start ripping up any picture of him within my reach, feeling my heart tear along with each rip. I throw the pictures with frames at the walls with more force then I even knew I had. I spot a vase with dying flowers that Zack gave me last week. How ironic. I pick up the vase and throw it with all the energy I have left at the wall, leaving a large mark.

"Maddie…" I hear London say warily.

I spin around to face her and just stare at her for several seconds before stammering, "I have to go."

I run down to the lobby and take my position at the candy counter, trying to give off the image of being perfectly fine and content. This works for a long time; several hours even. It works until I see Zack enter the lobby after school.

As he makes his way towards the elevators, I realize that he is not even going to bother to stop and talk to me to see if I'm okay. Well, that's just not acceptable.

I quickly run in front of the elevators, blocking his path with my arms crossed. "Hello to you too. Am I not worthy enough for you to speak to?" I ask coldly.

"I just…I thought it would be easier for you if I didn't." Zack replies. The sound of his voice alone is almost enough to break me once again, but I won't let that happen. At least not in front of him.

"Sure, right." I respond. "You're just running like the coward you've always been. When the going gets tough, the Zack gets going."

Zack stares at me for several seconds, and it takes all of my willpower not to squirm under his gaze. "I'm so sorry Maddie." Zack finally utters.

"Oh, you're sorry? Oh, well isn't that a relief?" I shriek, pushing his chest.

After he catches his balance he says, "Maddie please don-"

He doesn't get to finish before I slap him. "Don't you dare tell me what to do. You lost that right." I reply before punching him with all my might right in the center of his jaw. I'm pretty sure I hurt my hand more than I hurt his face, but nevertheless I push his chest again and scream "Fight back you idiot!"

"No!" Zack yells, grabbing my wrists before I can hurt him even more. I see moisture start to pool up in his eyes before he releases his hold on me and turns around to quickly walk out of the Tipton.

* * *

**Acceptance. The last stage of grieving over a loss. **

Acceptance. Acceptance will end any chance I have with Zack. And although I now that it's probably healthier to give up on him, I can't allow myself to do that again. I'm not angry anymore though. So what's left?

It's been a little over two weeks since the lobby incident, and I have never interacted with him since then. I've been glaring at him behind the safety of the candy counter though.

Suddenly a plan forms inside my mind. It's risky, reckless, and could possibly break me all over again, but I have to do it. I have to try. It's worth it.

When I see Zack enter the lobby after school again, I quickly claim the same position I did two weeks ago. When Zack sees me in front of him, he winces and takes a half step backwards.

"Zack, I want to apologize for how I reacted-"

"Don't." Zack cuts me off. "I deserved it."

Although I disagree, I bite my tongue and don't push it. I've got to stay on track here. "I thought since we're…broken up…we should you know, return some stuff."

I fiddle with the stubborn clasp of my charm bracelet, feeling Zack's eyes burning on me. When I finally get it off, I place it his hand without letting go. I rejoice in the feeling of being able to touch him and the jolts of electricity it still sends all over me. "I would like to return this to you." I reply and painfully remove my hand from his.

Zack look down into his open palm at the bracelet and I hear a shaky breath coming from him before he shuts his hand into a fist and shoves it into his pants pocket. His eyes close shut tightly for several moments, and when they open again they look duller than they did before. My wrist feels naked without the silver chain around, and then it's my turn to take in a shaky breath.

"Zack…I don't know how to ask this…but…um…could I possibly have the guitar…back?" I ask in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, sure." Zack utters and gets into the elevator before I have time to see the reaction on his face. I follow in quickly after him and the ride up to his suite is awkwardly silent.

When we finally enter his room, I see the guitar lying across the middle of his bed. He picks it up, his back still facing me, and places it into the guitar case. After closing up the latches, he lifts it up and hands it out to me with an outstretched arm. I finally get to look at his face, and when I do, I instantly regret it.

His face displays more pain than I've ever seen before. More than shock from the GMH, Brad, or even the gun shot. When I finally take the guitar out of his hand, I see that I've completely broken him.

Zack walks away and I'm faced with the sight of his back again as he stands near the foot of his bed. I gently place the guitar case on the floor and nervously say, "One more thing."

He turns around to face me and with all my courage and strength, I run at him, pushing him onto the bed. Before he has time to realize what's going on, I jump on top of him and start kissing the hell out of him.

**Hello my wonderful, beautiful, amazing readers! Sorry that it has taken me a while to update. I had exams and a bunch of other stuff you guys probably don't want to hear about. I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm leaving on a vacation tomorrow, but as soon as I get back I PINKY PROMISE to write a new chapter. There's probably only one or two chapters left, so I promise to make them good. As always, PLEASE review! Love you! Oh, and if I didn't reply to your review last time, it's because I replied to them out of order and forgot which ones I replied to, but I loved and appreciated every single one. **

**Kristina (aka Ginger): Hey! I miss your reviews SO much, but I understand how hectic and crazy things can get. I hope you like this chapter though! **

**Saraxrawrr: Thanks SO much for the review! I loved how you appreciated the different sides of Zack and supported my decision to have Zack break them up. I didn't get a message, but if and when I do, I promise to reply. Thanks again!**

**Sweetsandwichmuncher: Thank you for the review and compliments! I hope you like this chapter! **


	28. Becoming One

Becoming One 

_He turns around to face me and with all my courage and strength, I run at him, pushing him onto the bed. Before he has time to realize what's going on, I jump on top of him and start kissing the hell out of him._

I gently, but determinedly, grab Zack's face in both of my hands. I've missed this. I've missed this so much, words can't describe it. Weeks of not being near and intimate with Zack have made me snap and come to this point. Practically molesting him. He hasn't complained yet though…Still feeling no response from him, I start kissing down his jaw, making my way towards his ear.

"Maddie…" Zack says huskily as I lick his ear.

"Shut up." I whisper back as seductively as I can and blow on his ear.

Now I get a reaction.

Zack flips us around, so that he's on top and grabs my face like I did to him earlier. He starts attacking my lips with his, while I run my hands through his hair. Our steady breathing turns into heavy panting, with us only coming up for breath when absolutely necessary. I feel his tongue asking for entrance, which I grant gladly. Zack moves his hands to my waist, while I move mine to his shoulders.

After a few more minutes, I move my hands to his buttons, slowly unbuttoning each so as not to scare him off. Once all the buttons are undone, I slip my hands under his shirt at his shoulders and once again slowly easing the shirt off of him. Zack temporarily moves his arms so his shirt will fall off and then comes right back on top of me, kissing me.

The sight of his bare chest makes me feel like a giddy, little schoolgirl, not the twenty year old woman that I am. Nevertheless though, I can't resist running my hands over his hard, but not overdone, stomach, which earns a moan from Zack. Feeling smug from his reaction, I move my hands to his back, loving how the muscles flex there.

Zack starts kissing my down my neck, allowing me to breath again. Then he's kissing his way down my chest and stomach, ending up at the hemline of my shirt. He bites into that and starts dragging my shirt up my body. The sight is so sexy that as soon as he can't get drag it anymore, I pull my shirt off like it was poison. Surprisingly, I don't feel the least bit self-conscious. I pull Zack to me again and start kissing him deeply, while he runs his hands up and down my sides. He then starts kissing down my neck again and he ends up at the same place as before, except this time there's no shirt there. He begins moving up again, kissing and licking the whole time until he finally reaches my lips again. Then I feel Zack tentatively feeling me through my bra, which brings me to instinctively wrap my legs around his waist.

This is the farthest Zack and I have ever gone physically. Which brings me to a very important question…what the hell is going to happen here? We're not even in a relationship. For all I know, Zack could toss me aside when he's done…although I can't see him doing that. This was started with some plan to kiss Zack, make him realize that it's inevitable that we end up together, and then ride off into the sunset with him. I think I watched too many Disney movies growing up.

When Zack deepens the kiss though, I find myself not caring where this ends up. In fact I just want him more. And I would have gotten that opportunity if some annoying person didn't chose this time to walk into Zack's room.

"Whoa, what the he-" Cody says with bugging eyes.

Zack shields my body from Cody's sight with his before throwing a large textbook from his nightstand at Cody. Hmm…I rather liked how he muscles flexed when he did that. Focus Madeline! You're not a hormonal teenager anymore! "Get out of here!" Zack yells at Cody.

"Well, thanks for giving my textbook." Cody says, leaving and closing the door behind him.

Zack lets out a frustrated sigh as he lies down next to me on his back, throwing an arm around his eyes.

"We're right back where we started." I say in a quiet voice. When Zack looks up at me, obviously confused, I say "People always interrupting us."

Zack chuckles and says, "Yeah, we need to remember to lock the door."

That's an indication that this will be happening in the future. I move to my side to face him and ask, "Does that mean…"

Zack moves to his side, facing me also, and sighs. He seems to be doing that a lot today. "I want to Maddie. I think it's pretty obvious that I do. But…you know why we can't."

"No, actually, I don't know why. You're not dangerous Zack. You don't need to protect yourself from me." I say stubbornly.

"All I do is hurt you." Zack says, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I love you too much to do that to you anymore."

I sit up, frustrated, thinking of what I can say to convince him that I need him. I decide to improvise and just start talking. "When you ask anybody but London what they want out of life their answer is almost always happiness. Before anything else. Before money, or fame, or even being safe and protected." I look at him, determined to make him see my point. "You make me happy, Zack. You make me feel like no other person has before. You make me laugh, feel beautiful and loved, and just naturally happy. I've never felt that way before, and it's very…mean of you to take that away from me just because you're worried I might get hurt. We may hurt each other at times…but that's just the rollercoaster that is life." I lay down on my side again, cupping his cheek in my hand. "I would rather spend one day with you and die tomorrow, then live a long life without you."

"I feel the same way." Zack whispers, grabbing my wrist gently and closing his eyes, obviously thinking and debating with himself on what to do. When he opens his eyes again, he says, "I'm so sorry Maddie. I thought I was doing my best at protecting you when I left you…but I know now that that hurt you more than anything I have done before. Maddie…will you please give me a chance to make it up to you…can I please have you back?"

"You don't even have to ask." I whisper, tears forming in my eyes. I position myself on top of him again, feeling like I was on cloud nine, and started kissing him slowly, but passionately.

But of course that couldn't last long.

"Mother outside the door." I hear Carrie say in an almost army voice. "Opening the door in three…"

Zack and I quickly get off of each other to locate our clothing.

"Two…"

I slip my shirt over my head, while Zack starts buttoning his feverishly.

"One…"

I grab a random textbook from Cody's side of the room and sit on Zack's bed, pulling him down with me.

Carrie opens the door and I say, "Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492."

"Who knew?" Zack answers.

"Right…" Carrie says doubtfully. "Maddie, that's a math book."

Busted. "I know…but the answer to a problem was 1492…and I thought I might as well incorporate history into this too." I say, more like a question. When I look back at Zack, I have to hold in a laugh, noticing many of his buttons we're in the wrong hole.

"I think that I need to have a private talk with my son, so…" Carrie hints.

"Oh, of course!" I say, sucking up. "Talk to you later Zack." I exclaim, kissing him on the forehead before I leave. Before closing the door behind me, I see Zack giving me a pleading look and I'm tempted to go back again, but withhold myself.

* * *

Two weeks after Zack and I got back together, I'm sitting here at the candy counter working. These past two weeks have been about making up for lost time, which means spending every waking moment with each other as much as possible. Let's just say that it's been the best two weeks of my life.

When work ends I head back up to my suite. When I arrive and open the door, I surprisingly see Zack and London on the couch together.

"Yay you!" London says, bouncing and clapping her hands. Well, that's rare. London hardly ever "yays" anybody but herself.

"Hey Zack! What are you doing here?" I ask, seeing Zack quickly whip around to face me.

"Maddie!" Zack exclaims, getting up and pulling me into a crushing hug, which I gladly return. I lean up and kiss him, feeling like it's been years since we've kissed when in reality it's only been…eight hours.

After we part, London says, "Zack and I are going shopping! Wait for me in the limo Zack!" London says, and then proceeds to push him out the door. "This will give you time to shop for the birthday boy." She whispers in my ear.

Oh, shit. His birthday is in three days, and I completely forgot! How could I forget that? I've known that for years. Well, I have been distracted lately…

* * *

When I get to the mall, I'm clueless as to what to buy for him. As I make my way around the mall, I see a breathtaking, black sports car on display. That would be perfect…if I wasn't so broke. Although London would probably pay for most of the car if I asked, I want to be the sole contributor to his gift.

I go to a Best Buy and see a plasma T.V. Zack would die for. Once again though, my budget limits me. After pondering throughout the store for a while, I see a sleek, black camera. Hmm…this might work. I bet Zack is sick of using disposable cameras.

* * *

"Maddie, you're really obvious." Zack says. We're strolling down the park, hand in hand, on Zack's birthday.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I say, trying to make my voice sound indifferent.

Zack sits and down on a bench, pulling me down beside him. "Sure." Zack says, knowing I'm lying. "That's why we've spent the whole day walking around and around and around this park, and you won't let me anywhere near the Tipton."

"I just wanted to spend some time with you." I say, trying to appear innocent.

"Right. So there's no "surprise" party?" Zack says, using air quotes.

"I hate you." I say, chuckling.

"Love you too sweet thang." Zack smiles, pulling me in for a gentle kiss.

* * *

"You have to act surprised." I whisper in Zack's ear as we arrive in front of his suite door.

Once London arrives, dragging Cody behind her, it's obvious he knows what's going on here too. Zack shoots him a knowing look before I open the door to the dark living room.

When we enter, Zack says in a loud, obviously fake voice, "I wonder why it's so dark?"

As soon as I flick on the lights, numerous heads pop up from behind furniture and shout "Surprise!"

"For us?" Zack says, using the same voice as before. "I had _no _idea!" I smack his arm playfully, before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

The party goes on without a hitch. Zack and Cody both love their presents from their respective girlfriends, although London completely outdid me in the gift department, making my gift look cheap. When Zack noticed this, he said the cutest, corniest line ever, "I have you. That's the best gift I could have ever asked for."

I giggle at the memory and look across the room at Zack. He and his father are talking on the couch, obviously in an animated conversation. When they finish, Zack makes his way over to me. "Do you want to come to the roof with me?"

I grin, anticipating my time alone with Zack, and nod. He wraps an arm around my waist as we leave and make our way to the roof. When we get there, we look out over the railing at the vast, glowing city below. I notice Zack's fingers are nervously tapping on the railing.

"What's up Zack?" I ask, curiously.

He takes my hands in his and says, "Maddie, I love you so much. Every moment I spend with you…makes me feel so incredible and alive and like…I can do anything in the world. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met and I feel just…_so _lucky to be able to be a part of your life and call you mine. I want to spend every moment of my life with you, as long as I live."

He releases my hands and gets down on one knee.

Oh. My. God.

I hear my heartbeat loudly in my ears as I see Zack reach behind him a pull out a small, velvet box.

No way. He wouldn't-

He opens it and I see a diamond ring incased in the box. That's impossible. My eyes must be playing tricks on me. But nevertheless, my breathing quickens at its sight.

"Madeline Genevieve Catherine Fitzpatrick, will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?

**Hey everyone! PLEASE don't kill me for leaving off there! If you do then I won't be able to write the last chapter. Yup, that's right. Last chapter! After a year, this story is finally coming to an end. Now, there's a 90% chance of me doing a sequel, but I might do a couple of one-shots or maybe start another story before that. You tell me what you want. So anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! Please review:)**


	29. Note

Hey everybody!

Sorry, this isn't a chapter. I promised myself I wouldn't do this, but it was really important.

I just wanted to let you guys know that the next and last chapter will be posted on Saturday.

So anyway, I've decided I am _definitely _doing a sequel. I already have a plan in my head of what I want to do. I've pretty much got the whole thing planned out. Now I just gotta write it!

Some things about the sequel:

It will not only be Maddie's POV. There will be Maddie, of course, Zack, London, Carrie, and Max. Yup, Max. Max is going to have a HUGE role in the sequel.

The last chapter about Zack's birthday party was where he turned 18. Now it's time for college! The possibilities there are endless.

Tell me any other POV's you would like to see. I'll try to incorporate them!

Thanks for reading!


	30. Blessings

Blessings

_"Madeline Genevieve Catherine Fitzpatrick, will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?"_

This is absolutely crazy. We're both so young. I could never picture myself with someone else in my life besides Zack though. I have never felt such utter devotion to someone in my whole life, such a need to be with a man before him. But still, this is absolutely insane. There is no way I can tie myself to someone forever, while I'm so young. Absolutely no way.

"Yes." I whisper, unable to contain the large smile and tears overcoming my face.

As I looked down at his face the moment before I made my decision, I got my answer. Zack looked up at me with fear and anxiousness, but the emotion most clearly expressed was love. Pure, sweet, and genuine love. The kind that won't go away, no matter what happens, or how many years pass. At that moment, I realized I must have mirrored his expression. Because under my fear and anxiousness at the thought of being married so young, my love for him was deep to my core. I could, never would want to, look at another man the way I viewed him. I loved him more than any other being in my life. And I always would. That's when I realized also, that if he hadn't had proposed marriage to me at this moment, I would've gotten down on one knee to him, no matter how unconventional it seemed.

The change in Zack's facial features is instantaneous. His mouth turns up in a smile and his eyes glisten with happens. Zack slowly, but surely slides the diamonded ring onto my finger, beaming with joy before we embrace. I hysterically cry onto his jacket, clutching him to me without leaving a millimeter between us, yet he still feels miles away. Zack presses his forehead against mine and whispers, "I can't believe you said yes."

"I can't believe you didn't think I would." I say immediately.

After many moments of kissing, hugging, crying, and laughing we start to heads towards Zack's suite once more, where the party is still going on. I glance down at the rock on my finger and my cheeks hurt as I smile again. I don't know much about diamonds, having never owned one before, but I know this must not be cheap. The diamond isn't ostentatious or anything like that, but it's no little thing either. It's absolutely perfect and for once, I don't feel guilty of cost, since I know I have the rest of my life to make it up to him.

"It's your birthday you know." I tell Zack, leaning into his arm that is around me. "You're not supposed to be giving gifts."

"It was a gift for me too." Zack says with a grin, kissing the top of my head.

"It's absolutely perfect." I say, once we come to the suite door and stop walking.

Zack brushes my cheek with his hand before admitting, "London helped me pick it out. We went to the jeweler's that afternoon when you found us in her suite. I had to direct her away from the shinier, bigger ones. Once I told her my budget she almost passed out, but not before she motioned towards the one you're wearing now."

I have to chuckle at that. I can practically see London's eyes turn into saucers at being surrounded by shiny objects. "What was your budget again?" I asked curiously.

"A secret." Zack says with a smug look before kissing my cheek. "But let's say that I've been saving up for a while."

I beam at that remark. "You've known you've wanted to marry me for a while?"

"Since the day I walked into the Tipton." Zack says, giving me a chaste kiss again. "Ready to face everybody?"

"They don't know?" I ask, surprised.

"Nope. Just London." Zack says, before opening the door, pulling both of us inside. "Excuse me everybody." Zack says loudly. I can't help but think of the movies where the announcer taps a knife on a wine glass. I doubt that would help us now though, considering the loud music and buzz from the people. When everybody quiets down and some gracious person turns off the thumping music, Zack continues. "I have just asked Maddie to marry me. And she said yes." Blunt and quick. Typical Zack.

Although the room was as loud as a zoo a second ago, you can literally hear a pin drop. And let me tell you, hearing a pin drop on a carpet is not an easy thing to do. The loud silence almost consumes me before I hear London sing, "Yay you!"

I stare back at the faces in the room. The most frequent expression I get back is one with eyes bugging out and mouths hanging open.

Cody comes up to London, putting a hand behind her back and says, "Maybe we should leave these two alone to talk to the 'rents." Once he leads her out, the large group of people that was in the room follows as well. Before leaving, most wish up congratulations and luck.

Kurt is one of those people in the crowd leaving. Before he goes however he whispers "You scored a good one." In Zack's ear before patting his arm and exiting the room. I would have expected more words than that from the father of the groom, but this _is_ Kurt we're talking about. He doesn't really know how to be a father.

Now the only people left in the room are me, Zack, and…Carrie. I suppress a shudder when I look into her furious eyes. "Sit." She orders, pointing towards the coach.

When we all get settled, she lets out a large breath and says, "Leave it to you Zack to get engaged the day that it's legal."

We're all silent again and once more you can hear that dang pin drop.

"I love Maddie." Zack states finally.

Carrie groans and puts her head into her hands. When she finally straightens herself, she looks at Zack and says, "I don't understand why you won't wait."

"And I don't understand why we should." Zack says immediately. After another pause, he continues. "Look mom, I'm not saying we're getting married tomorrow or anything. I just want to spend the rest of my life with Maddie, and I want her and everybody else to know that too."

"Your father and I got married when we were young too." Carrie says with a sigh. "I thought we were so in love. But as it turns out, we were just in lust. By the time I realized that though it was too late, not that I regret you or Cody in any way. How do you know that you're not in lust?"

"Because," Zack starts, "I know that her favorite color is magenta, she likes to watch Soap Operas, giggles when she's nervous, and got stung by a bumblebee when she was four and has been traumatized of bees ever since." I can't believe he remembered my phobia of bees. I only remember telling him that once or twice. "The list goes on and on mom."

Carrie doesn't look convinced, so I decide that it's my turn to come out of my shell and speak now. "Zack's favorite color is orange; he eats when he's upset, ran away from home at nine, but only made it down two blocks, and he still likes to play on playgrounds." Zack and I share a secret grin after that.

"It's pretty obvious that you two love each other." Carrie says, gesturing at us. That's when I realize our postures. Zack has an arm around my shoulders, while I have one around his waist, with my legs entangled in his. "But sometimes that isn't enough. I mean, just last month you guys broke up with each other. Twice in fact! How do you know that the probably frivolous thing that tore you apart won't do that to you again? You guys aren't mature to handle all the problems of life."

Zack immediately stiffens and clenches his jaw. My mouth gapes open in shock at the realization that Zack didn't tell his mother what happened at the party. If she knew, she wouldn't call it a "frivolous" incident. Cody probably didn't tell his mother, thinking as I would, that Zack would want to.

"What happened?" Carrie asks, seeing our change in expressions.

I urge Zack on by taking his hand in mine and rubbing soothing circles on his palm with my finger. This is going to be so hard for him. We haven't really spoken of the event since we've gotten back together, wanting to keep it in the pass and forget it.

Zack takes a deep breath and begins, "Maddie and I went to a party-"

Carrie's laugh interrupts him. "Oh boy, I know where this is going. Let me guess. Got drunk and said something hurtful?"

Zack stares furiously at his mother and I realize that he is shaking slightly. "I need to get out of here." he says. I reluctantly let go of him and watch as he leaves the room to his bedroom.

"Typical male." Carrie sighs.

I'm torn at the decision of whether to follow Zack or stay here to defend him. Although I ache to be with him and comfort him, more would be accomplished if I stay here. Carrie doesn't understand the situation, but I can't help feeling angry at her for making Zack close up right before he was about to open himself up completely.

"He's not a typical male. You should know that." I say, coldly. "We went to a party. And yes, Zack did something hurtful, but he didn't get drunk. Some insane admirer thought it would be a good idea to drug him so he'd get into bed with her. And then the fire started. Do you understand how terrible it must have been? To be _drugged_ and left in a room to burn alive! Imagine how confused he must have been! The fucking girl didn't even bother to get him out of the house, probably too high herself!"

Tears are running down my face. I try hard to never think of that night, but Carrie needed to hear this. I don't look at her face as I say, "We're so lucky that not only did Zack survive the fire, but she didn't overdose him."

When I finally muster up the courage to look at her, my heart clenches. Gone are the fury in her eyes, instead replaced by tears and a look of sadness and regret. Her mouth hangs slightly open and her hands are clenched into fists.

"He…he…" Carrie says, hyperventilating.

Zack picks that moment to enter the living room again. When Carrie looks at him I almost think she's going to have a mental breakdown. But instead, she leaps up from her chair and runs to Zack. Once she tightly wraps her arms around him, she kisses his head over and over again while chanting "my baby". Zack barely puts his arms around her, looking at me the entire time. I recognize the look of thanks on his face, for saying what he couldn't, and I nod slightly.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't know." Carrie sobs.

"It's not your fault. I didn't tell you." Zack says passively.

Carrie then takes Zack's hand in hers and comes over to me. I stand up and she holds my hand in her free one. "You have my blessing." She says firmly.

* * *

"Where are we going Zack?" I ask, once we are settled in his car.

Zack pulls out of the Tipton parking lot and says, "Your parent's house."

"Hell no." I respond immediately. When he continues to drive, I try to plead and reason with him. "Please Zack. Don't put me through this please. If you thought your mom was bad…They kicked me out remember? They want nothing to do with me."

Zack sighs and asks, "Maddie would have wanted to get married without my parent's blessing?"

"No, but-"

"I'm already doing this the wrong way. I'm supposed to ask them first." Zack briefly looks at me and holds my hand in his. "Please…for me."

"Fine. But if you die, you brought it on yourself." I say stubbornly.

"I'll take the risk." Zack says with a smirk.

When we get to my parents door, my hands start to shake. Zack once again clasps my hand in his and rings the doorbell. Once the door opens and I see my mother for the first time in months, my heart clenches. Her face goes from surprised to happiness at the sight of me before she hugs me. I hug her back awkwardly, since my hand is still in Zack's, and I'm refusing to let go of it.

"It's good to see you again Maddie!" my mother says and leads us inside. "Richard!" She calls out for my father.

I'm shocked by my mother's' reaction. How she can so heartlessly throw me out and then welcome me with open arms and a smile on her face is beyond me. When my father enters the room, I squeeze Zack's hand, needing all the support I can get. It's my dad that I'm really mad at. He's the evil mastermind behind everything. He's the one who shoved me out and called me horrible names.

"Oh, Madeline!" he says. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we sit?" I ask, avoiding his question.

Once we are settled on the cheap couches in the living room, déjà vu hits me. We were in this same position less than an hour ago, except in a nice suite, and not in a shack of a house.

"What's going on?" Richard asks. I was expecting more of a declaration to get out of his house than that.

I muster up all my courage and once again squeeze Zack's hand before I say, "Zack and I are getting married."

That's when both pairs of eyes glance down to my ring finger. Instead of becoming angry and knocking things around, my father points at Zack and asks, "He rich?"

"No!" I yell, shocked. "That's not why we…I'm not a gold-digger dad!"

"Then why the hell are you getting married?" he asks, completely beside himself.

Zack picks this time to speak up and says, "We're in love."

"But I wouldn't understand either of you to recognize what that is. You are both so obsessed with money, that you would throw your own child out!" I shout, really becoming angry from the bottled emotions in me.

My father takes my mother's hand and after taking a deep breath says, "I was high when I did that."

"No…" I mutter. My father became an alcoholic soon after he married my mother and had me. She sent him off to rehab, and he had been clean ever since I was five.

"Yes." He admits with his head down. "I'm not proud of it either. I'm not making any excuses for myself, but I wasn't thinking clearly or rationally." He looks into my eyes and says, "I'm sorry Madeline."

Then my mother speaks up and states, "I only supported what he did, because I thought you would be safer and happier not living in this house. I didn't want it to happen exactly the way it did, but I can't change that now."

"Are you…" I stutter, not managing to ask the question eating away at me.

"I haven't had a drink in two months." My father says.

After I tell them about all that has happened to me since I've talked to them, the tension in the air seems to lessen. When telling my experiences to them, they laughed, they cried, and most importantly, they seemed like they genuinely cared.

When I finished talking, my father says, "Well…looks like I'll be walking you down the aisle doesn't it?"

"Does that mean…" I say, seeming to not be able to finish my sentences today.

"You have my blessing." He says, my mother nodding beside him.

As soon as Zack and I enter London's suite, I attack him, pushing him against the wall and kissing him into oblivion. Zack responds eagerly, picking me up and taking us to my room. I wrap my legs around his waist and fist my hands through his hair. When we make it to the bed, I don't let go of Zack as we continue our intense make-out session.

"I love you Maddie." Zack whispers into my ear.

"I love you more." I say, kissing his neck.

"I can't wait to make you happy for the rest of your life." Zack says, cupping my cheek and looking into my eyes.

"You know what Zack?" I ask with a smile.

"What?" Zack chuckles.

I grin and say, "You never cease to amaze me."

**Yay! Finally it's done! Since this is the last chapter, I would really LOVE a review…especially since I only got four last time. Thank you all for reading and hope you like this ending. I love you all! Stay tuned for the sequel. Add me to your Author Alert so you know when it comes if you want. **


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